Of Promises and Lies
by Shinigami's Brush
Summary: Complete. As his hand closed around the pale fingers, his eyes widened as he heard something whisper in his mind, what should have been an impossible feat. ‘I have many names, but I would prefer it if you called me R.R., Suzaku Kururugi.’ TimeTravel
1. Chapter 1

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 1

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Above, birds chirped and flew merrily above the tree foliage, fluttering their wings in the air. Insects crawled on the ground, scavenging for their next meal. Animals prowled and ran through the woods, predator and prey both.

The wind blew gently, prying into any unoccupied spaces and filling them in. Tree leaves rustled in a quiet manner, whispering to each other secrets only known to them. Nearby, a river roared over large rocks, its clear water shining brightly in the sun.

But, in a clearing where it was dark and the ground was cool, a small child was crying, sitting on the earthy forest floor. He was lost. Playing in the woods right behind his home, he had wandered too far in and forgotten which direction his house was. Dark green eyes were leaking with tears as dirt-covered hands and sleeves tried to stem the flow.

There was a slight sound of soft footsteps and a hand lightly tapped his shoulder. He picked up his head, surprised, to gaze into inhuman violet eyes.

"W-Who're you?" he asked, hiccupping. The kneeling man gently smiled and offered a handkerchief. The boy took it with thanks and hastily wiped his tears away. Then, he held it back out to the man, and the cloth was taken back despite its disheveled and soggy state. The man put a comforting arm around his shoulders and pointed in a direction.

"Is that where my house is?" The boy asked. He didn't know why, but something told him that the man didn't mean him any harm and genuinely wanted to help him.

The man nodded, and nudged him forward slightly, silently encouraging the boy.

"O-okay."

He got up and uncertainly started to walk in the direction he was given. Looking back, he saw the man shooing him and flash him a small grin of encouragement. He nodded in understanding, but before turning back, he remembered to thank the man. The man just waved a hand, hurrying the boy along.

"Goodbye!" he bid his mysterious savior, and then started running in the direction he was given, careful not to stray.

Violet eyes watched the small figure vanish between the trees and branches with a faint pang of nostalgia, and then turned to leave until they too were swallowed by the undergrowth.

After ten minutes, the boy saw his house, a Japanese-styled home. With a cry, he ran up the path and jumped up the elevated walkway. He slid the door open with a bang and ran into the room, not bothering to slide the door shut. Another door slid open and a woman stepped out from behind it.

"Suzaku-sama, where were you?" the maid asked harshly. "Jiro was sent out to look for you. Kururugi-sama isn't pleased with you either." The little boy, Suzaku, looked at the floorboards shuffling his feet ashamedly.

"I'm sorry, Chika-chan." He mumbled. "I got lost and couldn't find home." The woman's eyes softened at the response and sighed tiredly.

"You were out for a long time. I was just worried about you." she said in a more gentle tone, and then straightened herself, "Now, you're father is in the study. He said he would like to speak to you as soon as you got back."

"Yes, Chika-chan." Suzaku said, trudging to the door. He passed through another room to stand before another rice-screen entrance. He straightened his posture in preparation to confront his father. He straightened his back, lifted his head, and smoothed any wrinkles from his clothes to make himself appear somewhat presentable. There were dirt and grass stains visible on the white shirt, but it was too late. He couldn't do anything about it now. He raised a hand to knock. Three light raps were made before there was a response.

"Come in," Suzaku breathed nervously, and then slid the door open. He settled on a cushion to wait.

Suzaku watched his father, the Prime Minister, finally stamp the last document. The red ink glistened wetly in the flickering candle light. When he had arrived back to the house from the woods, it was already getting dark. Now, darkness dominated the sky and cast shadows in the room's corners.

He watched patiently as his father carefully placed the stamps into their box where they belonged and place the box on a shelf. Then, Genbu Kururugi turned to face his son. Suzaku swallowed.

"Now, I hear you went into the woods after lunch and failed to come back in time for dinner. Is that correct?" he started. Suzaku nodded, clenching his fists tightly on his lap.

"Yes, father." The man nodded, returning to his seat.

"You came back home late when you were clearly instructed to come home _before_ dinner, am I right in assuming so?" The boy just nodded again, this time staying silent.

"What was that?"

"Y-yes, father. I did." The Prime Minister folded his hands on the desk out in front of him, looking sternly at his son.

"You know you are going to be punished for this." Suzaku didn't speak. The man continued on. "So, starting now until further notice, you will not be able to leave the property surrounding the house unless given express permission from myself, and no dinner for you tonight. Understood?"

"Yes," the boy said softly, looking at his lap.

"Look at me and say it like you mean it, Suzaku." His head inched up slowly. Genbu just waited until his son could look at him straight in the eye.

"Yes, father!" The man nodded proudly at the boy and Suzaku felt a tingle of approval run through him.

"Good, you may go to bed now." The boy stood up from his seat and bowed in respect. Then, he turned to exit the room.

"Good night, father."

"Good night."

The door slid shut with a soft noise and Suzaku sighed. He started walking towards his room and his stomach growled. He wrapped his arms around his midsection in an attempted to stifle the noise, but failed. His hunger just demanded food in an even louder sound. There was a voice and Chika came from behind a wall.

"Suzaku-sama, here's something for you to eat, I'm sorry it's not much but it was all I could get." She whispered. An onigiri was pressed into his hand. Suzaku looked at the housemaid gratefully.

"Thank you, Chika-chan," The woman smiled and winked.

"It was no problem. Just make sure you don't get lost in the woods next time." Suzaku nodded.

"I won't!" he said. Chika chuckled and ushered the seven-year-old off to bed.

"Now don't forget that, and eat the onigiri before going to sleep."

"Okay. Night, Chika-chan!" the boy beamed. "And thank you!" The maid patted him on the head.

"You're welcome and good night to you too. Now, run along." Suzaku happily skipped to his room, prize in hand.

Once he was in his room with the door safely shut, Suzaku said a word of thanks and took a bite out of the rice, grinning. The rice ball's filling was umeboshi, an apricot-like fruit, his favorite.

As he munched on his dinner, his thoughts drifted to the strange man from the woods. He had clouded misty eyes, the color of a deep purple. Suzaku had never before seen eyes like those before. They were special, he decided. The man was special. Nobody else had eyes like that.

He finished the last bite of his onigiri and started changing for bed. Would he meet the violet-eyed man again? It was highly doubtful, since he was grounded to the house property for an unknown amount of time, which was probably a long period of time judging from past experiences. But, he could help but want to know the man better. Something compelled him to, a strange feeling he got when he saw him.

Suzaku slid under his bed sheets on his futon, still thinking. Where had he come from? Why was he in the woods? Did he have his father scolding him and sending him to bed without dinner too? Did he have a nice person like Chika-chan to get an onigiri from? With a jolt, Suzaku realized he never got the man's name. He would have to ask for it next time they met. He yawned.

But for now, sleep sounded _very_ nice. As he dozed into a dream, he wasn't aware of the sitting figure just outside his room on the other side of the sliding door. A sitting figure he met earlier that night, with violet eyes.

He sat outside of the room, eyes closed, completely still. His breathing was slow and deep. To an outsider, he appeared to be sleeping if it wasn't for his straight back. His dark clothing contrasted with his pale skin and hair. Metal buckles and clasps with leather straps dangled loosely on his frame. Not one of them made the slightest sound of clinking against each other as he breathed.

He sat there, memories dashing across his vision behind closed eyelids. Happy memories, sad memories, angry memories, guilty memories, and regretful memories, he saw them all. They were the reminders of his purpose, the reason why he was here.

To fix, to heal, to atone.

But never would he accomplish the last one, the most important and vital of them all to his very own being.

_To love_.

The man took another slow breath, immersed in his thoughts. Since his arrival, he had been consciously trying to avoid this country, this person, by hiding in Australia. Later, his curiosity let him to Britannia. But, recently over the past few years, he had slowly drifted closer to Japan, where he was now.

Through the rice screen door, he could hear the soft breathing of the young boy he was so close to, yet so far away from.

This time, he wondered, would everything remain a secret?

Would it end better?

Or, would it end in disaster?

Kururugi Suzaku sighed, for the umpteenth time, as his tutor droned on and on about Japan's history. He was so sleepy today. The room was warm, the sun shone through the open door, and a small fly buzzed near his head. His eyelids felt like there were lead weights on them.

In his tiredness, a hazy shield of dreams washed over his mind. The brush he held in his hand grew lax and the inked tip teetered dangerously above the rice paper to ruin his hastily made notes.

He didn't notice the room go suddenly silent except for the fly's insistent buzzing.

A wooden ruler used as a pointer snapped down onto the desk he was dozing on. It also efficiently eliminated the threat of the bothersome insect. The sharp noise cracked in the air. Suzaku bolted upright in surprise.

"Suzaku, I do not understand how you can sleep during class and still learn the material I am teaching you. Perhaps you would teach me a thing or two about your ability to do both at the same time?" The boy flushed in embarrassment at being caught in the act.

"I apologize. I wasn't paying attention." The stern teacher nodded briskly at the answer.

"Pay better attention next time," he sharply said. Suzaku nodded.

"Yes, Toudou-sensei." He heaved another sigh, and caught himself when his eyes began to droop again. It wouldn't do for him to be caught sleeping in class again. He would get extra work to do, again. And that would mean he would have less time to play, again. His focus was directed towards his instructor with a light rap on his head. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and resignedly started taking notes.

When class was finally over, Suzaku impatiently, but politely bowed to his tutor. Then, he shuffled to the door at the maximum speed he could achieve without offending the man.

As soon as he closed the sliding door, the boy took off in a run and ran along the wooden walkway grinning widely. He neatly turned around the corner only to run into the housemaid, Chika. They both fell into heaps of laundry with shouts.

"Ah, Chika-chan," he exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!" He started to grab a few pieces of clothing and throw them back into the basket. The maid was humored at his state and bore no ill will towards the boy.

"It's alright, they were dirty clothes anyway." She stilled his hurried movements. "Why don't you leave this to me and go play?" Suzaku smiled, but was uncertain.

"Are you sure?" Chika nudged him aside.

"I'm positive, now go." He beamed a wide smile.

"Thanks, Chika-chan!"

"You're welcome. Don't forget to stay around here and keep out of the woods!" The boy waved reassuringly back.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Then, he jumped down to the ground and started up the winding path to a nearby alcove. The small pond area wasn't too far away and he could easily see the house from there. A small grove of loosely spaced trees surrounded the water, giving him a sense of privacy he wanted.

Suzaku walked to the small bridge at the center of the water. He stepped onto the path with no fear, despite the two feet diameter of stone. When he reached the center, he sat down swinging his legs idly. Looking at his mirror reflection in the pool, he pondered on what to do.

Having the Prime Minister of the country was nice at times. He wasn't ever hungry, had a comfortable place to live in, and could visit this small place whenever he wanted to, after his studies of course. But, there was one part he hated and despised about it with a passion: he had nobody his age to play with. There was his father, the Prime Minister, Chika, the housemaid, Toudou, his tutor, Jiro, the bodyguard, and Suzaku, himself. There was no one else around to play with and it could get dreadfully lonely around the place.

The boy mentally ticked off the list he had. The forest, obviously, was banned from him a week ago. Skipping stones were boring, and so were chasing butterflies. Tickling fish didn't sound particularly appealing either, having fallen in the water last time two days ago. Reading his study books back at the house didn't sound that nice either. It wasn't something fun, in his opinion.

His eyes landed at the water near the shallower edges of the pond. He hadn't played with the tadpoles for a while though…

First, he would wait until a large number of them were in one area. Then, he would try to catch them with his hand, only for them to disperse into the large pool. When they were all gone, the simple cycle would start again.

Suzaku giggled at the sight of the little black wriggling bodies swimming frantically away from his hand. That was his ninth try. He was lying down vertically on the bridge. He watched the tadpoles gradually return to the area again before starting his tenth attempt, swinging his legs behind him.

Just before he reached into the water, however, he noticed a familiar presence. His hand was only a scant inch away from the reflecting surface, but was withdraw in favor of waving happily at the figure.

"Hello!" he said, getting up to run to the end of the bridge. "Thanks for helping me find my house the other day." The man smiled and nodded, but was as silent as always. His expression soon turned to delighted surprise as Suzaku threw himself into his arms. Quite clumsily, the boy was caught by the stumbling man. They landed in a pile on the ground.

"Sorry." Suzaku looked sheepishly at the violet-eyed man in realization. "Wow, I seem to be saying that a lot these days." The man waved a hand lazily in a motion saying no harm was done_. _The boy smiled.

"My name's Suzaku Kururugi. What's yours?" He leaned forward so their faces were only a few inches apart, his eyes full of childish curiosity. The man stiffened at the sudden closeness, shoving the boy to the side. Suzaku yelped at the unexpected action and rubbed his sore bottom.

"Oww." He complained. "If you didn't want to tell me, you could've just said so." Pouting, he raised his back with his elbows. "You didn't have to push me."

The man, gone over his shock, now looked at the boy with a strange expression, as if in conflict. Then, like he had come to a final conclusion, he sat up and offered a hand to the downed boy. Suzaku accepted it without hesitation. As his hand closed around the pale fingers, his eyes widened as he heard something whisper in his mind, what should have been an impossible feat.

'_I have many names, but I would prefer it if you called me R.R., Suzaku Kururugi.' _

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And there's chapter one! I hope it wasn't terribly bad. Well, tell me what you think. Are there any mistakes? Is it good? Bad? Is the title okay? I have to admit I'm a bit worried about you reader's reactions. I haven't written fanfiction in such a long time! Do you have any suggestions? Though if you do, you might not seem then in effect too soon. I already have a few chapters written up. I just couldn't upload them for some reason...

Review?

Thanks for reading!

Shini


	2. Chapter 2

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 2

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'_I have many names, but I would prefer it if you called me R.R., Suzaku Kururugi.'_

Suzaku was silent for a moment, before leaping up and bombarding the man, R.R., with questions.

"What kind of name is R.R.? How do you spell it? That was so cool! How did you do that? Can you teach me? Is it hard to learn? How come you didn't do this last time? Do you read my mind? What am I thinking about right now?" The boy's questions were said all in one breath and quick succession. There was barely a space between to distinguish the beginning and end of a sentence. It was a surprise Suzaku didn't run out of air to breath.

Luckily, R.R. was able to keep up with the babble and laid a finger on the boy's lips, effectively silencing Suzaku.

'_It's one of my names. With the letter R twice. It's one of my special talents. No. No. Because it wasn't necessary. No. I don't know.' _He took his finger away. Suzaku blinked at the constant flow of answers and summed his present thoughts in one word.

"What?" R.R. sighed and outstretched a hand. Suzaku was confused, so R.R. just grabbed a hold onto his slack hand. "What's that for?"

'_This is how I will communicate with you. Through physical contact, I can project thoughts to you. Now, ask your questions to me one by one. Slowly.' _The boy thought for a moment before looking embarrassed.

"I forgot them," he rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture with one hand, but holding hands with the man with the other. R.R. smiled.

'_That's alright. Why don't you can think up new ones to make up for it?' _He suggested. Suzaku sat down next to the sitting man.

"Did your daddy punish you for going home late?" The man was confused, but was reminded that Suzaku was a child, and thus had a father to take care and be responsible of him. Then, he felt a slight stir of anger and sadness, but mentally chuckled. Even at this age, Suzaku still had to ask the questions R.R. tended to want to avoid, first.

'_I have no one to call my father. He is dead to me and will remain that way as I see fit.'_

"Oh," the boy said. "That's sad. If I didn't have my daddy, I would cry lots." He was silent for a moment, and then asked his next question.

"How old are you?"

'_Eighteen.'_ Suzaku blinked.

"Wow, that's old. I'm only nine!" The boy proudly showed his age on his fingers. R.R. smiled at the boy's exclamation.

The two continued in this manner, swapping questions and facts about themselves to the other until Suzaku heard his name being called from the house.

"Suzaku-sama, please come back! Dinner is ready!" The boy's face lit up at the prospect of food and tugged his companion with him in the direction of the house.

"Come on, R.R.! It's dinnertime. I'm sure nobody will mind if you come for dinner." But, the man shook his head.

'_Actually, Suzaku, I have a favor to ask of you.'_ Suzaku looked at R.R. confusedly. _'Could you not tell anybody of my being here?'_

"Why?" There was a pause before an answer was given. R.R. worded his next sentence carefully.

'_Because there are some people who want to find me, but I'm hiding from them…'_the voice trailed off, letting the boy make his own assumptions. _'I trust you to keep this a secret.' _There was a serious note in the last statement. Suzaku nodded with a determined look in his eye.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise!" He linked a pinky with R.R.'s. "Pinky promise, if I lie, I will swallow 1000 needles." He pulled their fingers apart. "I break the pinky connection!" Suzaku smiled, but then blinked. R.R.'s pinky was still suspended in the air. Suzaku sighed in childish exasperation at what he thought was the man's ignorance.

"Don't you know what a pinky promise is?" he didn't wait for an answer. "It's the biggest promise anybody can make!" He used his arms to emphasize his point.

There was another shout from the house. Suzaku started walking back. "I have to go now, or Chika-chan will be mad at me again."

"Suzaku-samaaaa!" The boy broke into a run and waved at the man while looking back.

"I'll save something from dinner for you! I'll give it to you tomorrow! See you later!" The man waved back and watched the boy vanish behind a couple of trees before reappearing to enter the Japanese house.

It was nice, R.R. thought, to talk to Suzaku like this. He was young, a mere boy, untouched by the terrifying horrors of the world. Not yet. Behind all the questions was only open curiosity. There were no probing words full of suspiciousness. The boy's eyes sparkled with joy and twinkled with laughter, the deep green clear in color. And the smile, it was the smile that blew R.R.'s breath away. It was so innocent, so carefree, so _naïve_, unlike the ones in the memories of his past.

A small, genuine smile curved at his lips.

Yes, it was just simply, utterly, _wonderful_.

The next week found R.R. sitting patiently next to the pond's edge waiting for Suzaku's studies to finish. He looked up at the sky to note the sun's position. It would be any moment now, he predicted, judging from the past week's experiences, and he wasn't proven wrong. Suzaku came bounding up the path with a large, triumphant grin on his face. The amount of joy on the boy's was enough to cause R.R. to smile slightly too. He reached out a hand and Suzaku grabbed onto it firmly out of habit now, but still danced around in his happiness.

"You won't believe what happened today!" he exclaimed. R.R. shook his head at the energy the boy possessed seemingly from nowhere.

'_What?'_ he dryly asked. _'You found your old toy under the tatami mat in your room?'_ Suzaku's eyes widened and the boy stopped dancing for a moment.

"How did you know that?" R.R. raised a questioning eyebrow, a smiling starting at the corners of his lips.

'_You really did? I didn't know. That was just a guess on my part.'_ Suzaku rubbed his hair in bemusement.

"Well, I did. Turns out the wooden top I got three years ago was in the far corner under the mats. It's really small and that's why I couldn't find it until now."

'_And that was what got you so excited today?'_ The boy's face brightened up at the reminder.

"No, that wasn't it. Its father just said I wasn't grounded anymore. That means I can go into the woods again! And that means I can show you my tree!" He tugged on the hand he was holding, his energy from before back. "Come on!" The younger boy led the other into the forest. He walked in with confidence, unlike the last time R.R. saw him in the same environment.

'_Are you sure you know where you're going, Suzaku?' _the boy nodded, sure of their destination.

"Yes, I used to come here all the time before I got grounded to the house and shrine property. Don't worry," he looked back reassuringly at the man, "we aren't going to get lost."

'_Alright, if you say so…'_ R.R.'s voice trailed off as they continued in a single direction.

Finally, the two arrived to stop in front a massive oak tree. Looking from it to the surrounding trees, it truly was the king of the forest. Standing taller than any other, its branches were outstretched majestically with large, green leaves sprouting from the sides. Its girth was impressive, stating just how old it really was.

'_Wow…'_ Suzaku nodded in agreement.

"I know," was all he said, and he released his hold on the others hand, starting to climb up the branches earnestly. R.R. just stood there at the base of the trunk, lost in memories. "R.R.! Are you okay?" The man was shaken out of his memories and he smiled reflexively at the concerned voice.

Reaching up for the closest branch to him, he began to ascend.

The view at the top of the tree was beautiful, just as he remembered it. A legion of trees faced him as if bowing down to the king, a few birds twittering above the highest leaves and quickly flitting from branch to branch. Their sweet cries filling the space around them. The sun shone brightly, its fingers of light gently stroking his face in a caress. R.R. took a deep breath. The air was sweet and refreshing, as it should be. The branch and leaves under his hands were soft and rough at the same time. The bark rasped as he moved his hand across the brown surface.

On the side and edge of it all, was the peaked roof of the Kururugi shrine, the light brown tiles and wooden beams blending nicely with its surroundings.

"R.R.?" Suzaku questioned from below. He was sitting on a branch below R.R.'s, content to let the other take as long as he wanted to commit the scene fully into his memory. A tanned hand reached out to lightly touch a paler one.

'_I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed. It's nothing to worry about.'_ Suzaku wasn't convinced, but accepted the answer at face value for the moment.

"Okay."

Inside the Kururugi household, Chika wondered why Suzaku was sneaking half of his onigiri from dinner to his room. Maybe he wasn't hungry, but that wouldn't explain why he would take half of an onigiri away. She checked all of the trash cans in the house in the morning when the boy was studying. There was no sign of an abandoned rice ball. Perhaps he found a poor animal in the woods and saved the food for it? That would explain why the boy seemed fonder of the forest than usual. The maid sighed. She would just ask about it tonight when he came back.

When Suzaku got back home for dinner in the evening, the maid commented casually on how much time he spent outdoors after his classes.

"I'm curious, Suzaku-sama, as of to why you seem to enjoy going outside so much these days. Did you find a new friend to play with?" The young boy froze his chopsticks for a moment, remembering his promise to R.R. "What kind of animal is it? What is it like?" Suzaku relaxed. She thought R.R. was just an animal from the forest.

"Well," he started carefully, "he's nice to talk to, listens, is really quiet, and seems to understand what I'm saying." He was bending the truth, _just_ a little bit.

"Oh?" Chika murmured. "He sounds like something I want to meet. How about you bring him here someday" Suzaku nervously picked at the rice left in his bowl.

"U-um, maybe. I would have to ask him first though." Chika chuckled at the boy's kindness. The little master was just too nice at times. Imagine, asking an animal if they wanted to visit his home? The mere idea was a bit odd to think about. Still, it was a comforting thought that the boy had found some form of companionship to keep the loneliness at bay.

"Alright," Chika said, "now eat up and don't leave anything on the plate! I made an extra onigiri this time. It's in the kitchen." Suzaku looked up. She noticed him sneaking part of his onigiri off the plate? The maid winked at the boy and he grinned.

"Okay, Chika-chan!"

That night, Suzaku closed the door leading to the interior of the house securely and setting a lightweight lantern to the side before opening the outside door.

"You can come in now." He whispered into the empty darkness. The candle in the lantern flickered and R.R. came from the shadows. Wordlessly, he slipped in through into the room. Suzaku closed the door shut behind them and held out the onigiri from dinner to R.R. The man's eyes widened as he saw it was a full rice ball. He touched Suzaku's fingers.

'_Suzaku, I can't possible eat this. It's your dinner.' _Suzaku grinned smugly.

"Chika-chan made an extra one for you," and he hurriedly added in another statement before R.R. got the wrong idea. "She noticed what I was doing, but thinks you're just an animal. So don't worry!" The man took the onigiri gratefully.

'_Thank you, and please tell her I said that for me, will you?'_

"I will!" Suzaku watched the man polish the small rice ball impeccably neatly without a single grain of rice out of place. While this was going on, they were holding hands conversing.

"You eat like a girl." Suzaku bluntly said. R.R. looked affronted.

_I do not.'_ The green-eyed boy giggled.

"You do too. See?" He pointed to R.R.'s face. R.R. looked confused.

'_There is nothing on my face, not a single grain of rice.' _Suzaku wisely nodded.

"I know. That's exactly my point. Only Chika-chan eats that way. Everybody else has at least one piece on their face, even Toudou-sensei does."

'_Well,'_ R.R. said wryly, _'I see I can't argue with your logic.' _The boy nodded again, this time triumphantly at what he thought was his success.

"I'm glad you see my point." R.R. resisted the urge to laugh.

When the man finally finished his meal, he ushered the little boy to bed. "Will you tell ne another story about the two friends? Kingu and Naitou?" Suzaku asked as he was tucked in. R.R. smiled and held out a hand. Suzaku eagerly grasped it.

'_Very well. How about I tell you the time Naitou almost found out about Kingu's biggest and most important secret? Does that sound good?' _Suzaku nodded eagerly. _'It all started with a cat, a light and dark grey tom named Arthur… '_Suzaku listened, enraptured by the tale of comedy, panic, and laughter. R.R.'s words spun scenes in his mind, painting what was happening in high detail for him to envision.

R.R. enjoyed telling bits of his past to the boy, even though he omitted and tweaked certain parts of it from this storytelling to avoid changing anything in the past drastically.

Suzaku was the perfect listener, being worried when evidence of the secret was taken right from beneath Kingu's nose, panicked when Naito grew close to finding out Kingu's secret, and laughed when an announcement made by Kingu and Naito's friend caused further chaos in the most hilarious way.

During all this time, Suzaku drew comfort from R.R.'s hand in his. He yawned contentedly when Naito saved Kingu from a dreadful fall and closed his eyes. The story was almost at the end. He could tell.

'_And after this, Naito and Kingu became bonded together, creating a strong friendship between them that would last forever, and beyond.'_ Suzaku snuggled deeper into his covers.

"That was a nice story, but you never really told me what Kingu's big secret is. What is it?" R.R. patted Suzaku on the head, smiling.

'_That is for me to know, and you to find out, my dear Suzie.'_ The boy frowned, tried to bat the offending hand and words away.

"Don't call m'Suzie. S'a girlie name, annoying." He mumbled.

'_And that is exactly why I _will_ call you Suzie, Suzie. Now hush, go to sleep.' _R.R. took his hand away from Suzaku's loose grip. The grip suddenly tightened.

"Stay here, please," the little boy whispered, "just for t'night…" The man couldn't ignore the pleading tone Suzaku's voice had.

'_Alright, I'll stay here with you until you're asleep.' _Suzaku didn't answer, but managed a faint smile.

Outside the interior screen door, Chika, the maid, heard everything Suzaku said. Was the boy talking to himself, or was he talking to his new friend? But, animals weren't allowed in the house. Surely, Suzaku-sama knew that rule? She shook her head. Of course he would, he was a good boy and wouldn't disobey the rules. She had another thought. Maybe the little master had an imaginary friend, a friend only real to him? That could be it.

She squinted through the rice paper. She thought she saw something next to Suzaku's bed through the rice screen, but wasn't sure. It was a possibility, but she had to know for certain.

Her hand hovered above the sliding door in anticipation.

R.R. looked fondly as Suzaku's slumbering face, taking every detail so he could recall it later when he was in the forest. A slight hissing sound alerted him that he wasn't as alone with Suzaku as he had originally thought. With quick speed and stealth borne from years of practice, he released his hold on the boy's hand and dashed for the exterior door.

Chika slowly opened the sliding door, careful to not awake Suzaku.

R.R. tore the door open and closed it as fast as he could, miraculously not making a sound.

The maid peeked into the room, and blinked. Suzaku-sama was fast asleep, the lantern next to his bed flickering faintly. Her browed creased faintly. Something wasn't right here…

The man saw the warm light from inside be snuffed out and ducked under the elevated walkway. He slowly counted to one minute. When nobody came out, he breathed a sigh of relief. That was a close one. Violet eyes scanned the night for any hidden watchers. Then, he started to sneak back into the woods.

As he crossed the border of tree, he mentally thanked Suzaku for telling Jiro's nightly rounds. He owed that bit of information quite a lot, it having saved him at least five times from detection. Who knew a single, solitary man could do so much? Needless to say, R.R. was impressed.

Well, it was about time he got going. After all, even an immortal being needed sleep once and a while. It was good for the mind, sleep. R.R. nodded in confirmation at the statement. He couldn't be wrong on something like this, right?

* * *

And there's chapter 2! I went overit before posting it up so there shouldn't be any errors in it, I hope. I would also like to thank Airiko-the-Angel13 for being my very first reviewer for this story, though, for some reason I can't reply to it...

Thanks for reading!

Review please!

Shini


	3. Chapter 3

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 3

* * *

Spring passed by in a daze to the boy, and soon it was summer. The only difference to him was the rise in temperature and humidity. In the mornings and afternoons, as always, Suzaku was inside his house, dutifully studying with his tutor and learning. Later, at late afternoon, he was allowed to play outside. Then in the evening at bedtime, he would hear R.R.'s stories about the two friends, Kingu and Naito.

Half of the summer flew past unnoticed this way. Until today.

Everyday was the same, except this one. It was July tenth, the middle of summer. Suzaku had been waiting for this day all year. One could wonder, what was so special on this day? Upon hearing this question, the boy would've promptly told the asker that today was his birthday. To him, that was all the reason needed to be said, and it was, for wasn't ones birthday an important day of the year?

That was also the reason why Suzaku was happily bounding down the path to the place he referred to as "Suzaku and R.R.'s". As he was making his way to the pond, he wondered briefly if R.R. got him anything for his birthday. He hoped the man remembered.

R.R. was his one and only friend. The man was what his world was surrounded by. Companion, friend, comforter, encourager, confident, R.R. was everything Suzaku needed that the others at the Kururugi household couldn't provide.

Suzaku just hoped R.R. didn't forget his birthday.

The man warmly greeted Suzaku with a smile, sitting on the ground. Suzaku jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Hi, R.R.!"

'_Happy tenth birthday, Suzie-chan.'_ the boy's face lit up.

"You remembered! But I'm not Suzie-chan. Can't you call me something less girly?" R.R. chuckled and ruffled his hair.

'_Of course I would remember you birthday. It is, after all, a special day. As for calling you Suzie-chan, I think not. It fits you, doesn't it?' _Violet eyes sparkled in humor. Suzaku frowned, but couldn't hold it for long against his friend and grinned.

"I got presents too! Father gave me a cool pocket watch this year, see?" He dug the object out of his pocket and showed it to R.R. It was a glass-covered watch, with a black body protecting the gears inside. Roman numeral numbers could be seen under the clear surface. R.R. stared at it, but Suzaku didn't notice.

"Chika-chan said she would make me lots of my favorite foods for dinner. Toudou-sensei gave me a brush painting set, and said I was going to start learning how to paint onto of my studies. Also, he said he would teach me how to do some cool moves. He showed me one of them. It was a spinning kick. He jumped, and his leg was so fast!" Suzaku waved his arms around to imitate the speed the bodyguard did it, in awe. "It was like, whoosh! If I blinked, I would've missed a lot of it! I want to do that someday." He trailed off wishfully. R.R. chuckled.

'_I have no doubt you will be able to learn the spinning kick, no doubt at all.'_ Who knew it was Toudou of all people that taught Suzaku his trademark spinning kick? Though, now that R.R. thought about it, it seemed quite obvious.

"Really?"

'_Really,' _R.R. said, a vision of an older version of Suzaku doing a perfect spinning kick in his eyes. He was brought back to the present with Suzaku, the younger, snuggling against him and giggling.

"If you say so, then it must be true."

'_I wouldn't be too sure of that.'_ The boy craned his neck to look at the man.

"Why?" R.R. smiled sadly.

'_Because everybody lies for a reason.' _

"Wouldn't that be bad though?" R.R. shook his head.

'_Who said that reason would be bad? Even though some people lie for a bad reason, there are others out there who don't tell the truth to protective the ones they hold close to them. They don't want to hurt those people. Just remember, lying proves you are only human. You are not perfect. You are not a god. And you can make mistakes just like any normal person. A normal person like you.' _Suzaku wrinkled his nose at the explanation.

"So, not all liars are bad because they don't want to hurt their friend and family's feelings? And liars lie because they're just like me?" R.R. nodded. "I think I get it."

'_Now, on to the matter of presents, I have a confession to make.' _

"What?" The man looked away, no meeting Suzaku's eyes.

'_I do not have anything to give you that would be worthy for your birthday. I can't give you a present.'_ Suzaku looked up again. _'I'm sorry.' _

"Does that mean you don't have anything?" the boy asked. "Don't you have a home, family, anything?" R.R. shook his head.

'_All I have is what I'm wearing right now. I lived in the trees, and all my family are too far away for me to reach them or are gone.'_ Suzaku was saddened at his friend's admittance, but felt like R.R. was withholding something.

"Are you not saying something? He questioned, standing up from his position on R.R.'s lap, "because I have a feeling you are." The man sighed embarrassed at being caught by a newly turned ten-year old.

'_I am,' _he admitted. There was a silence between the two and Suzaku realized R.R. wasn't going to say anything without some convincing.

"And?" he prodded.

'_It's nothing,'_ the man said, trying to divert the topic, his mind grasping on another topic to discuss. _'So, what do you think about your new painting lessons?'_ But, unfortunately for him, Suzaku wasn't swayed by the change.

"What is it you're not telling me?" he pressed. "Are you lying to me?" The expression he gave R.R. was heartbreaking. Large, green eyes were wide and tearing up. A lower lip trembled visibly. The man felt his resolve slipping and before he knew it, he answered, _'Oh all right.'_

Suzaku's face lifted with all signs of sadness gone. R.R. sighed, realizing he just had been fooled, by a child. It was kind of sad. Well, he thought, there was no backing out now. It would take away the purpose of the lesson he had just taught Suzaku.

'_I have some… dog tags from where I was previously before I came to Japan. They're just a form of identification.' _Suzaku's eyes were wide with curiosity.

"Really? Can I see?" he asked. R.R reluctantly reached into the high collar of his lab-issued, one-piece straightjacket and pulled a thin, metal ball-chain necklace. A rectangular shaped tag dangled at the end, the silver metal flashing in the sun. Suzaku gazed in wonder at it.

"What does it say?" He reached for it. R.R. let him.

'_CG-EX13-03i on the first line, Nanashi-N.N. on the second and 1997 a.t.b. 02-14 on the third.' _

"Nanashi, No Name? And with the initials N.N.?" R.R. nodded.

'_I didn't give them my real name, calling myself Nanashi instead.'_ He shrugged. _'And since having an initial name was tradition, my initials were N.N. for awhile.'_ Suzaku's eyes widened at the implications of that statement.

"Does that mean only I know your name?" But he felt his heart sink in his chest when R.R. shook his head negatively.

'_Nobody truly knows my real name save for myself, and I would like to keep it that way. But,'_ he tapped the boy's nose, _'R.R. is one of the closest names you can get to my full name.' _

"But it's just your initials. There are lots of names that begin with the letter 'R'. And how am I supposed to know it's your real name?"

'_I know, but that's all you're going to get. You'll just have to trust me on this.' _Suzaku pouted and crossed his arms in mock anger.

"Fine, but that's not fair!" R.R. shrugged.

'_All's fair in love and war, my dear Suzie-chan.'_ Suzaku plunked back onto the ground, lying on his back.

"And I can't even call you a name like you do to me," he whined, frustrated, and then calmed down. "Though, why do you call yourself by your initials? You're not at wherever you were and don't have to do that anymore. Wouldn't it be easier to just call yourself a real name?" R.R. smiled at this question, remembering a certain green-haired witch with fondness.

'_Let's just say it was in honor of a very good friend of mine.'_ The boy looked back at the dog tag and stared at the three lines printed into the metal. Then he noticed a bird-like symbol engraved on the side.

"What's this?" he asked. When R.R. was what Suzaku was pointing at, he sucked in a breath in surprise, and slowly breathed it out. This response only piqued the boy's curiosity. "What is it?"

'_It's just the symbol of the organization I was with.'_ R.R. was relieved when Suzaku didn't pursue the subject, seeming satisfied by this answer. They both elapsed into a comfortable silence, content on staring at the clouds floating up above in the clear blue sky.

Then, Suzaku broke the silence.

"Hey, R.R.?" he hesitantly said.

'_Hmm?' _

"Do you think… do you think I could have it as a birthday present?" The boy didn't specify what 'it' was, but R.R. seemed to understand what he was referring to. He toyed with the medal tag absently.

'_Why would you want this? It holds no good memories for me. What good would it do for you to wear it? It's a token to remember for me, to anchor myself down with._

"Down to where?"

'_To reality and my purpose.' _

"Then what's your purpose?" R.R. didn't answer and Suzaku didn't push for an answer, asking another question instead. "So, can I have it then?" Violet looked down from the clouds to stare into dark green eyes.

'_Why would you want to be burdened by it?'_ Suzaku sat upright and stared earnestly into R.R.'s eyes, trying to convey the feelings he had.

"Because you've given me a lot! I want to help you too sometimes. You've done so much for me, but I'm doing nothing to help you. I feel so useless! If taking some of the burden for you is what I have to do to help, I will do it! You don't have to tell me anything about it, but let me carry its symbol for you!

"I see you when you think I'm not watching and you look so sad and lonely it hurts right here." Suzaku placed a hand over his chest and clenched the fabric. "It hurts so much that I will to do anything to get that expression off your face. Anything! Just please!" He was close to tears now and choked the last words. "Let me…"

As R.R. watched and listened to Suzaku's tirade, he felt even more conflicted than he was when he just met the boy. He didn't watch to taint Suzaku's innocence my giving him such a heavy symbol, and the dog tag he had held memories of the organization he despised, the Geass Directorate.

Upon leaving Australia and taking off for Britannia, he hadn't lived for a full decade before being somehow found out by the organization's agents. This resulted in his capture. The brutalities of the experiments were harsh and R.R. had more often than not bordered the line between life and death.

What the researchers and scientists did was forever etched inside his mind, not only to him, but also the other children in the facility. When V.V. succeeded C.C. as leader, he had been transferred to the Chinese Federation. He thought it would be better. It was worse. Having possession of the knowledge of his immortality, they did even more experiments down to the genetic level so the effects would be permanent.

Fortunately, he has escaped only two years later and fled to Japan to hide, carrying dark memories and bitter feelings with him. To keep a balanced mind, he focused all of those into the metal dog tag clenched in his fist. He was brought back to the present with a hand waving in front of him.

"R.R.? This is what I mean! You're face just changed again." R.R. looked at Suzaku seriously.

'_Are you sure you want to carry this burden with me, despite not knowing what it is?' _The boy furiously wiped his tears away with a sleeve, determined look on his face.

"Yes." R.R. then gravely took the necklace from around his neck and transferred it to Suzaku's. He tucked it out of sight under the boy's white top.

'_You must never let anyone see it.'_ The boy nodded. They stared at the other for a long, hard moment. Then, the seriousness of the situation and how oddly out of character they were acting caught up with them and they burst into laughter. Suzaku's ringing in the air while R.R.'s was in Suzaku's mind.

Of the two, R.R. was laughing the hardest. As he laughed, he felt something heavy and dark deep inside his chest lift and he felt free. It was like he was light as a feather, unrestrained by the heavy chains he didn't know he had. He hadn't felt like this since… well… ever.

The two laughed and laughed until their stomachs ached from it all and tears leaked from their eyes, but still, they laughed on. It was like they couldn't stop. It wasn't until a good portion of time passed before the laughter began to die down. It took five more minutes for it to stop, and even then they chortled once and a while. They clasped hands again, having let go when they started laughing.

'_I haven't felt like this, ever.' _R.R. said. Suzaku grinned infectiously at what the other said. He lay at R.R.'s side contentedly, relishing the peace between them. Once again, they gazed upward at the sky. The sun's rays were warm and shone down on both of them. They dozed off.

R.R. opened his eyes, wondering where the sun had gone so he could tell it to come back from where it was. He raised his eyes to see the clouds, only this time the fluffy, soft clouds weren't up there. Instead, dark grey clouds covered any hint of blue like a foreboding presence. He blinked rapidly as a raindrop fell to land in his eye. He raised a hand reflexively. Another fell on his nose before his sleep-addled mind registered that it was raining. His eyes widened in realization, only to blink again as more raindrops fell on them.

The man moved to sit up, but was halted by an unfamiliar feeling of something weighing his arm down. He looked to his arm, only to be surprised to see Suzaku hugging his arm. Sometime when R.R. had been sleeping, the boy had moved closer to him. He tugged on the trapped appendage, but Suzaku just held on tighter, mumbling as he did so. R.R. couldn't help but pause and smile at the cute sight, but frowned when the rain started to fall harder at a rapid rate.

He shook Suzaku gently, while blocking most of the rain with his body. When the boy didn't stir, he abandoned all ideas of being nice and gentle to roughly shake Suzaku. When that didn't work, he slapped the boy across the face, hard.

This action caused Suzaku's eyes to snap open at the pain.

Suzaku could feel the stinging sensation and blearily blinked. It hurt. His eyes focused on R.R., the source of the slap.

"Why'd you hit me?" Then he noticed something everything was wet. It was raining? The man at his side quickly dragged the boy upright and took his arm back. Suzaku yelped as he was picked up without warning. "Wait! W-what are you doing?"

'_Getting you to safety, back at the house.' _

"But you'll be seen!" he protested, but his cries fell on deaf ears. R.R. just continued to run down the path. He skidded to a stop at the walkway and set Suzaku on the elevated platform. He motioned with his hands to shoo the boy inside. Suzaku gave him an unsure look.

Suzaku could clearly see that R.R. was soaking wet in his thick, dark clothes. He also knew that was the only piece of clothing the other owned. So, he outstretched a small hand and tugged on R.R.'s large sleeve.

"Come inside, you're all wet." R.R. shook his head and tried to free his sleeve. Suzaku pulled harder. "Come on!"

'_I cannot,'_ the man said, grasping the boy's wrist. _'It's too dangerous.'_ Suzaku opened his mouth to give a hopefully convincing retort when the door slid to the side behind him. He and R.R. both froze.

When Chika opened the sliding door to shout for Suzaku, what greeted her on the other side was something she absolutely _did not_ expect.

Suzaku-sama was standing in an unsure pose, his back to her. He was holding onto a long, wide sleeve. Her eyes trailed up the clothed arm to land on R.R.'s face. Her hand holding on the door frame shook and she turned around and grabbed the nearest object at hand, a lantern. Swinging it forcefully, she bashed it over R.R.'s unprotected head. The lantern broke with a crash. Glass panels shattered and flew to multiple small pieces. Luckily, R.R. was already soaked thoroughly and nothing could catch on fire. He slumped to the ground soundlessly. Suzaku just stood there, shocked. Chika turned to face the boy.

"Suzaku-sama," she asked sweetly. "Do you mind explaining _this_?" Suzaku visibly gulped.

"Well, uh, you see…"

* * *

Here's Chapter 3 for all you guys! Because of all the reviews I got, I posted this one up earlier than I planned. I'm running out of pre-written chapters! Lol. Well, it's almost time to go back into writing mode again! /wink/ Tell me what you think. Is there too much on Suzaku as a child? I was thinking about writing about the rest of the year before Lelouch comes since this section is growing a minor plot right before my eyes.

Thank you to: Nusku, shiai10, chaos-winged-valkyrie, Airieko-the-Angel13, and ame-no-itteki for reviewing! I love you guys lots!

As always, thanks for reading!

Review?

Shini


	4. Chapter 4

_Of Promises and Lies-_ Chapter 4

* * *

Chika looked disbelievingly at the little boy sitting guilty in front of her, frying pan at hand. Next to her was the slumped figure of R.R. tied securely with rope. Suzaku glanced worriedly at his friend, wondering if he was still alive. The man was so still… His attention was then directed to the maid.

"Are you telling me that this man here," she jabbed a finger at R.R. "can talk to you with his mind? And he's supposed to be the friend you've been giving onigiri rolls to every night?" Suzaku nodded furiously to both accusations. Chika looked carefully for any signs of illness in the boy, but found none. She sighed. "We'll find out sooner or later when he wakes up." Then they fell into a tense silence.

Suzaku wanted to check up on R.R., but wasn't sure if he was allowed to. Chika-chan didn't seem so friendly with him. He looked at the still man's form. The maid, noticing his gaze drifting to R.R., again, sighed, looking away.

"Go on, see him if you want, but remember, I'll be keeping the frying pan close by." She warned. The boy grinned and circled around the table to R.R.'s side. Cautiously he poked at the man.

"R.R." he whispered. "Are you awake?" There was no response. He poked again. "R.R." Suddenly, the man's violet eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.

_Clang._

R.R.'s mouth grew slack and his eyes rolled upward to the back of his head as he crumpled to the ground in dead faint, again.

"Chika-chan," Suzaku whined. "He just got up. Now we have to wait for him to wake up all over, again." The maid had the decency to blush.

"Sorry," she chuckled nervously. "It was… instinct." The boy rolled his eyes at her defensive tone and settled himself for another long wait.

When R.R. felt consciousness returning to him again, he was careful not to show any signs of it until he was aware of what was going on around him. He heard a slight shifting to his left along with a clank of metal, the object-wielding maid. There was a small presence on his chest, Suzaku. He strained his ears for any others, but didn't find any. There was no one else. He cracked an eyelid slowly open and saw his surroundings through his eyelashes. He sprang into action.

It started with a simple push and Suzaku was safely out of the way.

Chika squawked in surprise when the man leapt upright for the second time and raised the frying pan instinctively, intent on bashing R.R. to the ground for the third time. Then, she blinked and looked at her empty hands. Her eyes bugged out.

"W-what?" she stuttered, and looked at R.R. disbelievingly. He held the metal pan in his hand, cautiously, as if was going to bite him. "Hey! Give that back!" She snatched from his grasp. R.R. dropped his jaw and raised his arms around his head, backing away. Suzaku yawned from his place on the ground.

"R.R.!" he exclaimed when he saw the standing man. "You're awake!" R.R. gave Suzaku a dirty look, as if sarcastically saying _no, really_? Then, the boy noticed Chika brandishing the frying pan again and ran forward between the two. He raised his arms up and out.

"No!" The maid moved to push the boy aside.

"Suzaku-sama," she said firmly. "This man is dangerous, stay back!" The green-eyed boy laughed and ran forward to hug the man.

"Don't be silly, R.R. would never hurt me. We're best friends." Chika gasped.

"Suzaku-sama," but it was too late. R.R. had scooped the boy up in his embrace. Suzaku smiled triumphantly.

"See?" he said, wrapping his arms around R.R.'s shoulders. "R.R. isn't bad." Chika frowned, but noted the gentleness R.R. held the boy with, and the soft expression that appeared whenever the man saw the boy. She lowered the pan with a small smile.

"I'll believe you this time, but," she added menacingly to the man, "if you harm a single hair on Suzaku-sama's head, I _will_ come after you with more than a frying pan." Suzaku giggled. R.R. sneezed, water droplets flying from his wet hair. Chika's maid instincts took over. She immediately took Suzaku from R.R. and ushered the man to another room.

"Come, we need to get you out of those clothes and into warm water." She ordered briskly. R.R. was sneezing in confusion as he was pushed into a bathroom. "Here, take a nice hot shower while I get some dry clothes for you." She looked his profile over. "I think you would be close to Toudou's size, though they might be a bit big. You're thin as a stick. He's also a little broader on the shoulders." The door shut behind him and the maid's muttering became slightly muffled.

R.R. looked at the shower apprehensively before turning the knob. Water poured out from the showerhead. Waiting for the shower to warm up, he started to unbuckle his black straightjacket. With a rasp and a heavy noise, the clothing dropped to the floor and he stepped under the warm water. He idly noticed his shoes were missing. Chika must have taken them when he was unconscious.

As the water washed over him he sighed, muscles relaxing. He hadn't had a shower in a long time, keeping himself clean instead by bathing in the river. The streams of water thumping against his back and body were like a giant massage to him.

He sighed as he tipped his head back, letting the water run through his face and hair while contemplating his next move. The current situation he was in was an unexpected turn of events. Chika, he thought, was a wildcard. She was impulsive, show by her display of pan-whacking, but was genuinely protective of Suzaku. She also seemed like the type able to keep secrets.

R.R. smiled, reminded of a certain loyal kunoichi maid from his past. His smiled slipped when he was reminded also of her end at the sword of Zero. She wasn't even buried under her own name, taking his instead to the grave with her.

Chika, he decided, could be trusted. He reached for one of the bottles lining the shower walls. Now, what else would he need to do?

He stepped out of the shower with a refreshed appearance about him, noticing a set of neatly folded clothes on the countertop. His straightjacket was missing though. He grabbed the top piece and started to dress.

R.R. buttoned the last button and smoothed any wrinkles from his shirt and pants. He had a very simple plan. Having gone through countless plans, each getting more and more complex each time until he realized he was over-thinking and over analyzing the situation. This isn't a war zone he chided to himself, there's no reason for all of this, but a little voice in the back of his mind whispered _"yet"_. He firmly pushed it to the farthest and deepest corner of his mind.

He would just convince Chika that he was trustworthy, with a little side help from an unsuspecting Suzaku. Then, he would leave in the middle of the night to leave Suzaku with the explaining tomorrow.

Yes, he nodded to himself that was a very simple plan, effective too. With a confident air, he opened the sliding door and stepped out. He was greeted with a smiling Suzaku, who was already dressed for bed, and followed the boy to another room, already going over what he was going to do in his mind.

However, it seemed like fate wasn't smiling on him that day, because instead of seeing one face across the table, he saw three. He was able to identify all of them, judging from Suzaku's earlier descriptions.

First was Chika Sasaki, the maid. Her expression was carefully neutral outwardly and she sat stiffly on her cushion. Her brow, however, was furrowed slightly and if you looked closely enough, there was a noticeable certain stiffness around her mouth.

Second was Jiro Watanabe, the bodyguard. He was a heavyset man and had large muscles. His head didn't have much hair on the top, but what he lacked there was made up by his thick eyebrows and sideburns. His overall appearance was tough and stern.

The thin, but obviously muscled man sitting in a perfectly balanced position was Toudou Kyoshiro. His hair was short and controlled. Sharp, intelligent, eyes peered at R.R. closely, trying to find the others main intent through his body's movements.

R.R. took a closer look at Toudou, curious as to how the older version compared to the younger. It seemed the younger had darker, thicker hair. Locks poked from the meticulous haircut in the back, more in number than they would be in the future. Also, the sharp look in the others eyes was less harsh and more rounded. Stress lines that were faintly part of his future appearance weren't present on his face. This version hadn't had the change from a teacher to a rebellion leader happen to him yet.

"I think it would be best if we started with introductions first." Chika started. "I am Chika Sasaki."

"Jiro Watanabe."

"Toudou Kyoshiro."

"I'm Suzaku Kururugi!" R.R. beckoned the boy to grasp his hand. Jiro and Toudou tensed, but Chika stopped them with a sharp glare.

Suzaku seemed to hear something they couldn't and nodded. "R.R. says do not be surprised by what will happen next. To quote, 'please do not attack us.'" Toudou raised a spiked eyebrow, about to question what would be so surprising that they would be inclined attack.

"_Greetings, Sasaki-san, Watanabe-san, Kyoshiro-san."_ The first two jumped in surprise, but Toudou narrowed his eyes in suspicion and wonder. R.R.'s lips had moved, but the voice had come from and been Suzaku's own, only softer and more mature. The words were annunciated clearly and evenly in a cultured manner. The boy's eyes blinked in wonder, and he had control over his mouth again.

"That was so cool! How did you do that?" R.R. smiled and there was a moment of silence. Suzaku nodded. "Okay, I think I get it." Toudou watched this exchange, thoughts forming in his mind based off the information he was toke from Chika.

"I'm guessing this was the telepathy Chika was referring to earlier, and you're name is… R.R.?" R.R. nodded and then used Suzaku's voice to speak.

"_You are right in your assumption, T-Kyoshiro-san,"_ R.R. corrected his mistake, scolding himself for the slip-up. _"And even though R.R. is not my true name, I would like to be referred to as such. I have abandoned my past name and most afflictions related to it. I see no reason to be referred as such and will not reveal what it was." _Toudou frowned at the answer, but didn't saying anything.

Jiro smoothly injected another question into the conversation.

"What are your intentions towards Suzaku-sama?" R.R. smiled at the boy next to him. The three across the table all exchanged glances, confirming the fondness in that action to each other.

"_I am a companion and friend to Suzie-chan here."_ If the three noticed the Britannian nickname given to Suzaku, they didn't show any reaction to it. _"I reason being here is to get rid on his loneliness and make sure he has a happy childhood a boy like him deserves. I want to protect him._" Chika asked the next question.

"Why would you want to do all that when you are obviously not Japanese? You are a Britannian, are you not?"

"_It's true I'm a Britannian originally. I won't deny that I'm not Japanese."_

"Then why? Why are you here of all places at the Kururugi Shrine where the Prime Minister and his son lives?" Toudou's eyes darkened in suspicion. "Are you here to assassinate them, or at least Kururugi-sama?" R.R. looked shocked at the accusation. He raised both his hands, still holding onto Suzaku's. The three adults prepared for an assault, but R.R. only showed his weaponless hands.

"_I am unarmed and don't mean any harm to anybody inside this household."_ His eyes softened momentarily before hardening again. _"As to why I'm here, I owe it to an old friend."_ Jiro was curious.

"What happened to this… friend?"

"_He died," _was flatly said. There was silence.

"I'm sorry," Chika said. R.R. shifted his eyes to look at her.

"_No harm done. That's why I'm here after all." _

The rest of the questions were asked without any problems or further complications. As words were exchanged, a candle burned on and melted steadily until there was only a small stub left in the lantern.

The night wore on into early morning and signs of fatigue could be seen with everyone sitting at the table except R.R. Not a single thing looked out of place for him. Toudou idly wondered how the other man managed to pull it off, but the one mostly affected was the youngest of the four, Suzaku. All the others noticed the little boy's tired face and how sleepy he was, but still Suzaku fought the urge to sleep so he could act as R.R.'s voice.

"I think that's all we need to know and more." Toudou finally announced, running a hand over his face. He cast a glance to the other two and saw they were thinking the same thing he was. They nodded, though one of them had to be convinced to respond with a nudge.

"Then, R.R. welcome to the Kururugi household unofficially." R.R. smiled.

"_Thank you, all of you. I will take Suzie-chan to his bedroom. I already know were it is." _At the end of the statement, Suzaku's voice trailed off to an almost inaudible whisper, the boy finally succumbing to sleep. The two men looked surprised by this statement, but Chika stood up.

"I'll accompany you." The three exited the room together, leaving the two men by themselves. When the sliding door slid shut, Jiro turned to Toudou.

"Do you really think that man, R.R., is trustworthy? Chika is usually a good judge of character, but R.R. could've convinced her using more, unconventional, means, if you know what I mean." Toudou's forehead creased.

"He seems honest enough for a Britannian, and he has honorable reasons for being here." Jiro snorted, disbelief written across his features.

"Honorable? What does a Britannian know about honor? I'll tell you, they don't know anything about honor!"

"I agree with you on that matter, but I have a feeling this Britannian is different. He called us Japanese in a favorable manner, and used honorifics from our language. No prejudiced Britannian would display such actions they deem unworthy." Jiro rose from his seat.

"That poor excuse for a _boy_ is just like any other Britannian!" he snarled. "They never learn. They're just arrogant pigs, greedy for corrupted power!" Toudou looked disapprovingly at the standing man.

"Are you truly this prejudiced again Britannians, or are you just saying that to hide the fact you are jealous that R.R., has gotten close to Suzaku and protects him, doing what normally would be your job?" Jiro snorted, dismissively waving a hand in Toudou's direction, moving to exit the kitchen.

"Whatever. I still don't trust him." He closed the door behind him loudly. Toudou sighed and asked a question directed at the man he knew wouldn't grant him any answers.

"Who are you really, R.R.?"

R.R. sneezed again in the halls, careful not to drop the sleeping figure in his arms. He wrinkled his nose in an attempt to stop his sneezing fest.

"You are okay, R.R.?" The man nodded. Chika smiled with a knowing look. "Those two back there are probably talking about you without us being present, still suspicious of you. Don't worry about them," she assured R.R., "they'll come around eventually." They entered Suzaku's room. Chika lifted the sheets and R.R. slipped the boy under.

Habitually tucking Suzaku in, he didn't notice the smile the maid was giving him. It was gone by the time he looked back at her.

"I'll show you a room you can stay in now," she said, but R.R. shook his head and sat down next to Suzaku's sleeping body. "You're staying here?" There was a nod. "You sure?" Another nod was made. Chika shrugged.

"Good night then. Breakfast is at six-thirty in the morning. Kururugi-sama usually eats his in his room so you'll probably be safe. Also, since you're staying in the same room as Suzaku-sama, I'll leave waking him up at the appropriate time to you, alright?" R.R. motioned he understood and the maid left the two alone, closing the door.

R.R. relaxed completely once he and Suzaku was alone. Talking through another person took a lot of energy out of him, and with that long period of questioning he was exhausted. He was grateful Chika didn't put up a fuss over his choice of rooming. He doubted he would've had enough energy to convince her otherwise.

He looked at Suzaku's sleeping form as he lied down next to the futon. Brushing a few stray hairs out of the boy's face, he pecked Suzaku quickly and lightly on the forehead. Sighing, he closed his eyes and drew comfort from Suzaku's presence.

Sometime during the night Suzaku had made his way towards R.R. to snuggle against the man while R.R would find his arm draped protectively around the small boy's form in the morning, but for now, they slept.

* * *

And that's Chapter four, everyone! Am I dragging this on too much, or is this too fast? What do you think of the interrogation? Was it convincing? Is Jiro's character acceptable? I hope Toudou wasn't too OOC... Please feel free to point out any errors in this chapter! I checked it over, but that may not have been as thorough as I thought.

Well, tell me what you all think! I've enabled the anonymous review, so anybody who doesn't have an account can still give some feedback. I love feedback! Though, that doesn't mean I'll reply. XD

Thank you for reviewing: SecondtoNon, Devil's Melody, Ame_no_itteki, shiai10, Spartan Eragon, Nusku, Airiko-the-Angel13, and chaos-winged-valkyrie. I love you all very muchly!

Review?

Love,  
Shini


	5. Chapter 5

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 5

* * *

Suzaku sighed contentedly. This was a nice dream, he thought. It felt like R.R. was with him this morning, but he always left after he fell asleep the previous night so it was impossible. He stirred, still surrounded by that warm feeling. He should get up. Chika-chan would be here to get him up soon.

His eyelids fluttered open to see an unexpected sight. He looked up to R.R.'s face. And the weight around him… he wondered. It was the man's arm. He glanced down. He smiled and gazed back at R.R.'s face. There was a peaceful expression on it, calm and untroubled. Suzaku giggled, but froze when R.R. started to wake.

'_Suzie-chan…?'_

"R.R.!" the boy squealed, and hugged the man around the neck. "You're here!" R.R. looked dazed and slowly sat up.

'_Where?'_

"At my house of course," Suzaku stated matter-of-factly. "Remember?" He could help but giggle at the image R.R. portrayed at the moment. "And good morning to you too."

'…_this is a good morning…?'_

White hair was mussed in all sorts of directions. Waist-length hair was everywhere in disarray and the wrong direction. Violet eyes were cloudy and unfocused while opening and closing slowly, not registering anything. The clothes borrowed yesterday were wrinkled. The man yawned as yesterday's events came back to him.

'_Ah,'_ he said. _'We should be getting to breakfast then.'_ But instead of getting up like he should've, R.R. collapsed backwards onto the ground, his eyes half-closed. _'Maybe later.' _

Suzaku stood up and pulled himself out of R.R.'s arm and walked to his dresser, pulling out some clothes.

"Look," he exclaimed and held up a large shirt in an attempt to rouse the sluggish man, "Chika-chan got some clothes for you too!" There was no sign of getting up. Suzaku sighed at R.R.'s sleepy expression. Seriously, was the man like this every morning? If Suzaku himself was like this, then he felt sorry for the maid that had to wake him every morning.

R.R. saw Suzaku backing up against a wall and shut his eyes partially, filtering his vision through his eyelashes. When the boy was almost on top of him, he rolled to the side, successfully avoiding the attack. Suzaku wasn't so lucky, flying past him and landing on his bed. The boy got up rubbing his sore nose. Trying to get people out of bed at this time of the day was _hard_!

Chika looked amusedly at the two figures that just stumbled into the kitchen.

"Good morning, you two!" Suzaku groaned as he sat down. He sprawled his entire upper body on the table top. R.R. was already next to him cushioning his head with a hand, his elbow on the table.

"It's not a good morning, Chika-chan." The boy whined. "It took forever for me to get R.R. up and ready. He wouldn't even get off the floor!" The maid chuckled, setting two plates of food down on the table in front of them.

"Now you know how I must feel every morning when you want to stay in bed." She said sliding cups of tea forward. Suzaku just moaned.

Another person walked into the kitchen. Jiro walked heavily to the table and sat at the seat farthest from R.R. all the while glaring unfriendly at the Britannian. The other occupants in the area just ignored him.

"It's good to know you got up this morning, Suzaku, despite the late hour you went to bed at." Toudou said from behind, having just arrived. "On the other hand, it seems like R.R. is still not away yet." He then shrugged and moved to walk past the two. He jumped in surprise when he felt two hands sharply prod his sides, nearly crying out. He reached to his waist to catch the hands, but they anticipated this action and withdrew before he could.

Toudou turned around to identify the perpetrator of the childish action. Suzaku's eyes were wide with innocence and pointed at R.R accusingly. The future general's dark eyebrow raised in question.

"You should take responsibility for your own actions, Suzaku, and not shift the blame onto others." Then he added, "Or at least you could accuse someone believable."

"But it wasn't me!" The boy protested. "I promise!"

"Then who else would do it? R.R.?" Suzaku nodded furiously in agreement. Toudou transferred his gaze to the sleeping man.

"Is this true?" He asked, prodding him with a sock-covered toe. "Did you do it?" R.R. blearily opened his eyes and covered a yawn with his hand. Then, he motioned the man to come closer. Curious, Toudou squatted and leaned forward towards the violet-eyed man only to receive an earful of air. His hand rose to his ear reflexively.

"What?" he sputtered. R.R. was rolling on the ground in silent fits of laughter, his violet eyes sparkling in amusement. The expression Toudou had been priceless, being one of surprise and shock. R.R. made sure he committed the face to memory.

"See? I told you it wasn't me!" Suzaku chimed and Toudou shook his head. "It was R.R.!"

"I apologize, Suzaku. I just didn't expect a grown adult to have the childish actions of a nine-year old." The second part was jabbed toward the still laughing man.

R.R. sat straight after hearing that. Waving a hand to get the man's attention, he pointed to himself and held up ten fingers. He flexed them and closed two of them. He flexed the eight fingers, and then pointed to himself again trying to get his point across.

"You're eighteen?" R.R. nodded, smiling. Toudou huffed. "No wonder, you're barely an adult yourself. Some great role model you are. But, truth be told, you look younger than that." The violet-eyed man looked offended and crossed his arms.

"Very mature," was dryly commented. R.R. just stuck his tongue out, and then pointed his nose up and away from Toudou. "And I suppose you'll stay like that for the rest of breakfast?" There was no response. Toudou shrugged. "That's a pity because I'm sure Chika made a wonderful one this morning."

Toudou nodded in thanks to the maid as she set a plate in front of his. Very loudly, he clacked his chopsticks as he picked them up.

"Itadakimasu!" he annunciated clearly, and proceeded to eat.

R.R. peeked at the breakfast Suzaku was eating at the corner of his eye and felt his closed mouth watering on the inside. Toudou's detailed commentary wasn't helping the situation either.

What was he to do?

He didn't have to wait long to make a decision, because Suzaku handed him a pair of chopsticks and said, "Eat." His resolve broke and he began breakfast in a proper manner trying to save a shred of his lost dignity, despite the looks Chika, Toudou, and Suzaku were giving him.

Nobody noticed the fifth member on the table's lack of interaction though. Jiro didn't speak, and just held his tea cup tightly in his hands, knuckles whitening.

Like spring, summer and fall passed in a daze for Suzaku, especially with R.R. becoming a constant presence to him in and out of the house. The man was accepted by most of the household and since the Prime Minister often out of the country, he didn't have to hid most of the time.

During the morning after breakfast, R.R. watched Suzaku practice martial arts and other fighting forms in the front courtyard. He was offered to join in multiple times, but always refused. He knew he was physically unfit compared to the two males sparring in front of him, but could hold his own in a tight situation unlike his past self. At least, that's what he hoped.

He sighed as Suzaku was sent flying by Toudou's kick again. Sure, learning the theory behind all the forms was interesting, but when it turned to the practical, he was utterly disinterested.

"Bored?" a voice came from behind him. It was Chika with another basket of laundry. R.R. nodded with resignation on his features, as Suzaku dodged a punch. "I think I know what might help then. I'll be right back." He heard her footsteps walk away, pile of clothes in tow. After a few minutes, she came back.

Something tapped against R.R.'s back and he turned around. A book and pen was clutched in the maid's hand and she set them next to him on the walkway. The black and white cover stared back at him, the metal attachments on the pen glinting in the sunlight.

"Here, I think this'll help. Tell me if you run out and need anymore or anything." Then, she bounded back into the house. R.R. looked at the book curiously. The cover had a nice design, but had a blank on the front. There was no title. He opened it and flipped the pages. Everything was blank. The man was confused. This was no book. What good would it do? Reading a book without words or pictures was impossible. Wait.

Pictures.

His eyes landed on the pen set next to him, having second thoughts. He reached for the black writing utensil.

After sparring, Suzaku and Toudou, with R.R. following, returned inside the house and started classes. R.R. sat in a corner out of the way, his customary seating all the while scribbling furiously into the book he was given.

He had already wasted the first couple of sheets, having messed up in his sketches. He mentally noted that he would get rid of those later somehow. Perhaps ripping would work. He would have to be careful though.

Now on his tenth page, R.R. really started to draw. The pen's tip raced across the pages, the black ink a stark contrast against the white color. His eyes would occasionally flick up to his subject from the paper, but would always return to their original position down to make minor corrections.

The morning passed as R.R. continued to draw into the afternoon. When it was lunchtime, he took a brief break from the paper and pen, but soon returned to it shortly after. Suzaku was curious as to what kept his friend so enraptured to skip some of his lunch. The man relished eating food. He quickly switched his focus, however, when his tutor rapped a ruler against his desk.

It was only in the evening when Toudou dismissed Suzaku did R.R. stop his drawing. Suzaku waited for him by the door as the man put the book and pen safely away. Then, he started down the path to the pond, linking hands with the other.

"What've you been drawing the whole day?" Suzaku asked R.R. The man smiled secretively and put a finger to lips.

'_Oh, it's nothing to worry your pretty little head about,'_ R.R. snickered in Suzaku's mind. The boy pouted at the unrevealing answer.

"Why don't you tell me?"

'_Because what I've been drawing is a se-cr-et!'_ The man said in a sing-song voice, annoying Suzaku with each passing moment. _'I'll tell you someday, but who know which day it will be? It could be today, tomorrow, or neither, my dear little Suzie-chan!' _

"Don't call me that girly name!" Suzaku shrieked. "And I'm not little!"

There was laughter as R.R. ran ahead of the boy, said boy right behind him. R.R. kept making faces back at the running boy. Round and round in circles they spun, running past trees, skipping across a bridge, and hiding behind stone statues until the man tripped suddenly and crashed to the ground.

Not expecting such a thing to happen, Suzaku didn't realize it until it was too late. With a cry, he pitched forward and landed on R.R. The man coughed as the air was forced out of him. He grabbed Suzaku's wrist, wheezing.

'_Suzie-chan, you're getting quite heavy these days. What are you been eating?'_ He poked the boy's stomach. Suzaku sat up, giggle and proudly flexed his arms in a show of strength, but didn't get off the man completely.

"Toudou-sensei says that's because I'm getting stronger. That's why I'm heavier and need to eat more, unlike you." He poked R.R.'s thin frame. "Chika-chan thinks you're still thin as a stick." R.R. pursed his lips at Suzaku's mention of the maid.

'_That woman, I swear it's her mission to feed me as much as she can, and I can't do anything about it! I feel like a bloated whale after each meal of hers I eat. I don't know why she makes she eat that much. I can barely move! I might have to join one of your sessions with Kyoshiro-san someday so I don't get too round in the middle!' _

"You could just say you're full." R.R. gave the boy a look.

'_And have the threat of a frying an above my head? I don't think so. Do you know how much that hurts?"_

Suzaku couldn't find anything else to say against that point and sighed, defeated. He propped his elbows on his knees, so he was comfortably looking down at the man.

"I wish everyday could be like this." He said. "It's nice." R.R.'s eyes hardened a little after hearing that statement. It was winter and Suzaku was on his tenth year. Come spring, and R.R. would be forced to leave Suzaku. Also, in less than a year, the peace that resided in Japan for so long would be ruined. His chest ached at that thought.

"R.R., is something wrong?" R.R. put up a convincing smile and shook his head.

'_I'm fine. Just thinking.'_

"About what?"

'_Nothing important.'_

"Are you sure?" Suddenly R.R. got an idea.

'_Yes I'm sure _I'm _okay, but what about you?'_ Suzaku's expression was confused.

"What do you…" he never got to finish his sentence. R.R. had already started to attack.

Suzaku gasped as their positions were reversed and cried when the man's fingers dug ruthlessly into his sides.

"No," he moaned. "This isn't fair." His arms flapped and tried to beat the hands away, but he was weak with laughter and his attempts weren't as effective as it should have been. "Stop."

R.R. grinned. All the conditions have been met. Mission: diverting the topic. Status: complete and successful.

'_Do you plead for mercy?'_ he asked with a menacing tone. Suzaku feebly kicked towards R.R.'s back, but failed. His legs were too short and the force too weak.

"Never!" he crowed. R.R. tickled the boy harder.

'_Then I'll have to make you!'_ Suzaku turned to the side suddenly with strength belied by his small body and managed to wriggle away a few inches, but R.R. recovered and pounced back. _'Just try and get away! I'll never let you!'_

"No…" Suzaku weakly protested, still trying to twist away. "Okay, okay. I give up, now stop!" R.R. shook his head.

'_Not until you plead for mercy!'_ Suzaku half-heartedly glared at the man through his tears.

"Mercy!" This time, R.R. stopped tickling the poor boy and dodged the hand intent on hitting him, but got clipped on the cheek for not moving fast enough. "That's for not stopping when you should've!" The man snatched the hand quickly before running away.

'_You mean, for stopping when I shouldn't have?'_ he cheekily said. Suzaku sprang up from the group.

"Why you! Any more and I would've been crying!" He said as if angry, but his laughter rang soon after the statement. "Come back here R.R.! I have to repay you for what you did!"

* * *

And here's Chapter 5! This one was a fun one to write. To everyone looking for a conflict in this, since Murphy's law works that way and so does karma, I'm working on it! But, it's going pretty slow... There's just so much to do! Sorry this chapter came out a bit shorter than the others. It just came out that way. (excuses excuses) Well anyways...

Thank you for reviewing: Airiko-the-Angel13, Nusku, Devil's Melody, lilyrose225, shiai10, yajni06, fan-fan31, SecondtoNon, ame-no-itteki, Spartan Eragon, and chaos-winged-valkyrie. I love you all very much!

Review?

Love,  
Shini


	6. Chapter 6

_Or Promises and Lies_- Chapter 7

* * *

It was a frozen paradise. Trees were capped with white hats and boughs of snow. All was still. The animals from the flighty bird to the burrowing shrews were gone. One was gone to a far land, flying, while the other was deep underground, slumbering. It was cold. Icicles adorned various things, acting as natural ornaments, tinkling in the breathy wind. They glistened in the late afternoon sun.

Light pieces of white fluttered down from the blank sky to land gently and delicately onto their destination point. They were the carriages and the wind their horse. The ground was covered with them, like a giant, soft blanket.

R.R. stood outside staring up into the sky, his breath puffing visibly into the air. It was finally snowing. He outstretched a hand and watched the snowflakes land on his palm, only to melt into clear water. He smiled as he remembered a certain green-haired witch's words to him, inspired by the very spectacle happening before his eyes. He was still as he reminisced his past. Her voice echoed in his mind.

"_Lelouch…"_ Then, there was another voice, this time for real.

"R.R.!" Suzaku called. R.R. had a statement on his lips, about to correct the boy about his name, but then remembered when and where he was. A hand went to his neck and he traced an invisible slice on the pale skin.

He gasped in a breath of air as a snowball was thrown at his head. Some stray clumps slithered down his jack and shirt. He instantly arched his back and wrung his shirt out, trying to get the freezing snow out. After he had gotten rid of the cold substance, he could still feel the icy feeling remain on his back. He turned around to glare at the perpetrator. Suzaku's grinning face looked back at him from behind a thick hat and scarf.

"I got you!" R.R. quickly scooped a handful of snow and compressed it. Then, he whipped his arm around. The boy screeched his face was suddenly filled with the white fluffiness. He pouted and grabbed his hat from where it had fall upon impact. "I'll get you back for that." R.R. just laughed back at him silently.

The two threw snowballs at each other relentlessly, trying to beat their companion in the frigid cold. Their faces were alight with innocent laughter as they dodged, scooped, and threw. As if sharing their happiness, snow swirled around them, dancing merrily to a melody and song only they knew.

Finally, R.R. and Suzaku eventually ran out of energy and collapsed to the soft ground. Surrounding them was countless footprints and trussed up snow. It looked like it was a battleground of war, which was wat it was of course. Habitually, they linked hands.

"That was fun!" Suzaku giggled.

'_It was.'_ R.R. agreed. _'We should do this again sometime.' _The boy made a positive sounding sound. They lay on the ground like this for some while until Suzaku spoke up.

"R.R.?" he asked.

_'Yes?'_ The boy fidgeted a little uncomfortably.

"We'll be friends together, forever right? We'll never forget each other?" R.R. paused for a moment, his hand tightening. "R.R.?" The man smiled sadly, but Suzaku didn't see the expression from his position on the ground.

_'Of course,' _he said, his chest tightening at his lie. They elapsed into silence again. This time, R.R. was the one who started to talk.

'_Suzaku, may I ask a question?'_ Suzaku nodded.

"Okay." There was a pause.

'_Do you know why the snow is white?'_ R.R. whispered quietly. _'Do you know why it's the color it is?'_ Suzaku tipped his head and shook his head.

"I haven't really thought about it. Why?" The man lifted a corner of his mouth in a faint smile.

'_Oh, I don't know.'_ He breathed. _'Why don't you try and guess?' _Suzaku kicked the snow in frustration.

"I don't know why!" R.R. smiled.

'_Patience,'_ he chided, eyes twinkling in amusement. _'Patience, my dear little Suzie-chan. If you don't wait, how will you achieve anything in the end? How does a crane receive its meal everyday? By waiting time and again. By being patient, you can do almost anything and get anything you desire.'_ After hearing this statement, Suzaku fell silent.

A few minutes later he asked, "Was that long enough?" R.R. tried to hold in his laughter, but couldn't. Laughter flooded the boy's mind. Suzaku frowned. "I fail to see how this is so funny." The man changed positions and turned over so he was on his front.

'_You've been around me too often. You're starting to even talk like me.' _With a terrified look, Suzaku clapped his hand around his mouth hastily. His eyes were wide.

"I don't want to talk like you! You're old!" he mumbled, but snapped his mouth shut, worried he had offended his friend. He needn't have worried. R.R. was the exactly opposite. The man's mouth crinkled upwards.

'_That is correct Suzaku. I am old, older than you could even imagine.'_ He said with an unusual tone. Suzaku lowered his hand when he realized R.R. wasn't going to be upset with him anytime soon. He nodded thoughtfully, interpreting the statement his own way.

"Yeah, being eighteen is pretty old. I can't imagine what I'll be like when I'm that old! Will I be tall? Short? I don't want to be a mean person…" He trailed off, thinking about his future self. R.R. smiled.

'_I know you'll be just fine when you're older.'_ Suzaku shifted his eyes to look at the man.

"How are you so sure everything?" To Suzaku's despair, as always when asked this particular type of question, R.R. just got that mysterious smile again and remained silent outwardly and inwardly both, putting a finger across his lips in a shushing gesture. The boy sighed and sat up. "We should be getting back." R.R. nodded, stood straight, and helped the other up.

Together, they made their way back to the house. Along the way they had started a game of chase and started down the path. Suzaku laughed loudly as he tackled R.R. around the legs. They tumbled to the ground and there was a small, audible popping sound. R.R. winced at the noise. Suzaku immediately got up, worried.

"Are you okay, R.R.?" he asked. "That sounded bad. Where is it?" The man just held up his wrist. It looked odd, and sideways for some reason. The boy raised a hand curiously. R.R. let him, not showed the slightest note of pain on his face. Suzaku poked and prodded the joint. He wiggled the joint up and down without that much trouble. In his opinion, it seemed fine, even if it was a little off in place. He decided to fix that and grasped firm holds on the hand and arm, but was stopped by R.R.

'_I'll do that.'_ The man gently moved Suzaku's hands off his arm and braced the dislocated wrist against the ground. He pushed, and the joint popped back into its socket. The boy jumped at the noise.

"Doesn't it hurt when you do that? It sounds like it." R.R. just smiled and motioned that they should hurry back to the house.

Once safely out of the cold, the two stripped out of their wet clothes and stepped into a hot bath. They both sighed as the hot water eased away any remaining icy fingers in their bodies.

"R.R.?" Suzaku said to begin a conversation. The man cracked open eye in response. Taking the sign as a positive one, the boy continued. "What happened back there?" R.R. reached for his hand to reply.

'_Back when? The snowball fight?'_ The man asked feigning ignorance, stalling. He was hoping the boy would drop the topic. He wishes weren't heard.

Suzaku huffed in annoyance. He knew the other was sure of what he had meant. He held up a wrist and wiggled it back and forth.

"This. When you're wrist went all funny." R.R. acted surprised, his face conveying shock.

'_Oh, why didn't you say so earlier?'_ Suzaku gave him a look, raising an eyebrow. The man almost laughed at the serious expression the boy was giving him. Almost. _'Alright, alright, my wrist had a minor dislocation. Happy?'_

"What's a 'minor dies-loc-ectshun?" R.R.'s eyes shone at the pronunciation, but other than that, there was no sign of his mirth.

'_It's dis-lo-ca-tion, Suzie-chan, dis-lo-ca-tion.' _The boy tried to say the word again, his mouth working on saying the new, foreign word.

"Des-lo-cet-shun?" He tried, he face cutely scrunching up.

'_No, dis-lo-ca-tion.'_ R.R. patiently coached Suzaku how to say the long word.

"Des-lect-at-on?"

'_Try again. Dis-lo-ca-tion.'_ Idly, R.R. wondered how Suzaku managed to butcher up a normal word in an unnatural way. It must be his younger age, he thought. The Suzaku he met when he was ten did _not_ have problems like this.

"Dis-lecto-ca-shun?" R.R. just shook his head. "Desl-e-ku-shun? Dis-le-kee-shun?" There was a shake of the head. Suzaku was beginning to get frustrated at the word. "Dis-la-ki-tion? Dis-lo-ca-tion? Dis-le-ca-tion?" He shot out quickly.

'_Yes.' _R.R. said suddenly. _'That's right.'_ Suzaku frowned.

"Dis-le-ca-tion?" R.R. shook his head again.

'_No,'_ he said. _'It was the one before that one. Dis-lo-ca-tion." _ Suzaku took a deep breath.

"Dis-lo-ca-tion? Dislocation? Is that right?" R.R. smiled.

'_That's right. Try it again now, just to make sure.' _

"Dislocation!" He looked to the man for confirmation. When he received it, he grinned. "Dislocation, dislocation, dislocation, dislocation."

Suzaku jumped out of the bath, happily repeating the new word he had learned.

"Dislocation, dislocation, dislocation." He chattered. He loved the sound. He loved how he hissed between his teeth for the 'dis', how he could feel his tongue twist for the 'lo', how the air sounded in the back of his mouth for the 'ca', and how his lips moved to made the last part of the word, 'tion'. It was fun!

He dried himself off and changed clothes. He said a brief goodbye to R.R., and left the bathroom.

Suzaku was bounding happily down a hall, while chanting his newly discovered word in different tones. First, he tried a high one, and then a low one. After those, a mixture between the two was said and he giggled. He tried experimenting with different pitches.

"Dislo_ca_tion, disloca_tion_, _dis_location…."

Then, he was struck with a sudden thought. Even though he knew how to say the word, he didn't know what it meant. He stopped to think. R.R. was still in the bath, so he shouldn't ask him. He didn't really want to ask Jiro, the bodyguard was a little mean, and scary to be honest. Toudou-sensei was probably busy doing something or other, and wouldn't appreciate being bothered. Chika-chan was also busy working around the house, but she probably wouldn't mind.

Suzaku smiled and began looking for the maid. He found her in the study room dusting the shelves off. She was humming gently under her breath, moving the duster back and forth.

"Chika-chan, I have a question for you!" he said. Chika didn't turn around, instead reaching up for a particularly high shelf on her tip-toes.

"Yes, Suzaku?" she asked, sneezing a little as dust went up her nose. "What is it?"

"What does 'dislocation' mean?" the maid raised an eyebrow, rubbing her nose.

"Where did you hear that?" Suzaku giggled.

"R.R. said that's what happened to him when we fell on the ice! But he did something to it so it's all okay now. It didn't look like it hurt a lot." Chika's expression suddenly grew worried.

"Are you sure he said it was a dislocation? And where was it?" Suzaku nodded, no knowing the concern the maid was feeling at his words.

"Yes! R.R. taught me how to say 'dislocation' so it has to be right, and it was on his wrist." He raised said joint and pointed to it. Then he added something else as an afterthought. "It did look a little funny though, being unstraight and all" Chika absentmindedly corrected the boy's word usage habitually as she put her feather duster down carefully.

"'Unstraight' is not a word, Suzaku-sama. Now, where is R.R.? I need to ask him something." Suzaku smiled and led her to the bathroom where he was previously. Luckily for the two, R.R. had just finished dressing. He blinked, surprised at the two's sudden appearance. Chika crossed her arms.

"What is this I hear about a dislocated wrist?" The boy tugged at her sleeve and whispered to correct her. "It's dislocation, Chika-chan." The maid ignored him for the time being. She held a hand out. "Give it to me and the frying pan will stay in the kitchen." R.R. stubbornly didn't give her his 'injured' wrist. Inwardly, his thoughts were racing.

He shouldn't have told Suzaku what it really was. He should've said was just a scratch, or something. He cursed at himself for his foolishness and lack of insight. He should've seen this coming. He wryly smiled in his mind. Suzaku's curiosity always did prove to throw an extra variable into his plans, a monkey wrench if you will.

Now having successfully calmed himself, R.R. began to think up a plan to get out of this situation. Multiple plans ran across his mind at a fast pace, but none of them suited his tastes exactly. Knocking out Chika and Suzaku would cause further unaffordable complications in the future. Saying he lied to Suzaku wasn't such a good idea either. The boy wouldn't take it well. It would leave a bad impression of him to Suzaku, the 'lie' appearing to have been from a mere whim. He also didn't think dislocating his wrist again would go unnoticed. What was he to do?

Suddenly, his eyes widened. He just had an idea! He mentally checked it over for any errors two times, but found none. It was foolproof! In his mind, it was all laid out neatly for him. All he had to do was initiate it. Everyone would do the rest for him, like a chain of events. He smiled disarmingly and prepared to put his plan in action.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you viewed it, he never got to even start it. His hastily, but carefully constructed plan fell to piece in front of him right before his eyes. And it was all because of one man's untimed arrival.

"Chika, Suzaku, R.R., what are you all doing in front of the bathroom?" Toudou demanded. His entryway to the said room was blocked by the three people. R.R. panicked and waved his arms in front of him, unrealistically willing the man to return to where he had come from. It didn't work.

Chika used this opportunity to snatch one of R.R.'s wrists with a successful cry as Suzaku exclaimed to the man in surprise.

"Ah, Toudou-sensei!" The boy brightened up with a thought. He could ask his sensei what 'dislocation' meant. Chika-chan didn't tell him… Though from her reaction, it didn't seem like a nice thing. Actually, it seemed very bad. "Do you know what 'dislocation' means?"

R.R. stifled a groan when he heard the question. If there any hope that he could execute his previously made plan, there was none now. It was ripped to pieces brutally like a thin piece of paper.

Toudou's expression was a variation of surprised and stoic.

"Dislocation?" he asked. "Why do you want to know? Did something happen?" Suzaku grinned, not knowing the turmoil and horror R.R. was feeling right now with every word he said. He nodded.

"Yeah! R.R. said he had a 'dislocation'!" Chika nodded in agreement and showed the tutor the wrist she caught.

"Here, you check it." She said, holding the arm forward. Toudou accepted the offered appendage, careful not to jostle it.

"Is this true, R.R.?" He asked as he tested the mobility of the joint, searching for any negative reaction from R.R. The man shook his head. Suzaku's face fell. Toudou's grip on his wrist tightened.

"But that's what you said!" He cried, his eyes tearing. R.R. tried knelt down and wiped the tears away soothingly. He smiled.

'_What? Little Suzie-chan is crying? Who would've thought? Can't you take a joke? Chika got the wrong wrist. Remember? I dislocated my right one, not my left.'_ He held up his other wrist. _'It was this one. Not the one Toudou has right now and is squeezing the life out of. Do you think you tell him that? That he has the wrong wrist?'_

Suzaku dried his tears, almost laughing at himself. Now that he looked back on it. Crying over such a small matter seemed so childish now. He didn't want to act like and be treated like a small child anymore. He looked R.R. straight in the eye, but something seemed different in that look than the ones in the past. It was more… mature. In it were a strong will of steel and power.

"I'm not going to cry! I'm older now. My name is Suzaku Kururugi and my father is the Prime Minister of Japan! It's not Suzaku-sama, Suzie-chan, or just Suzaku. It's Suzaku Kururugi! One day the whole world will know my name and respect it!"

R.R. smiled, feeling the emotion pride swell in his chest at the boy. Perhaps _this_ was the change he had been waiting for. The Suzaku he met in forest was Suzaku, but wasn't the Suzaku he knew from when he was ten. Now looking at the boy in front of him, something seemed to lock in place with a resounding thud.

The world wouldn't know what hit them, but first could he have his wrist back?

* * *

Yay! Chapter 6 is up! I had lots of fun writing Suzaku's learning of 'dislocation'. And now he's all grown up! /sniff sniff/ Lol. Please tell me if you have any comments, suggestions, or found any errors here.

Thank you for reviewing: ame-no-itteki-, Airiko-the-Angel13, Spartan Eragon, Nusku, Devil's Melody, 2stupid, Regina, slivblue, Crazy animal lover, fan-fan31, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, and chaos-winged-valkrryrie. I love you all lots!

Review?

Love,  
Shini


	7. Chapter 7

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 7

* * *

As a conclusion of the dislocated wrist, there was a neat but exaggerated cast on his wrist. After showing Suzaku the 'right' wrist that had been dislocated, having done the deed himself when everyone was distracted by Suzaku, he had to pretend to be 'sick' for the boy.

He had been carefully ushered to Suzaku's room and told to rest on the futon. Then, a big hot water bottle was placed on his head. It nearly suffocated him. Then, Chika, playing the doctor, put a thermometer into his mouth after being given the tool by Suzaku, who was playing the assistant. Toudou just watch amusedly from the sidelines, chuckling at R.R.'s demise. R.R. just glared at him, vowing to get revenge at the man for not helping him.

But, R.R. just played along, saying how he ached all over his body, all the while feeling ridiculous.

The situation was reaching its limit when the two pretenders had even got a special pillow especially for his wrist. The joint was wrapped in gauze and braced way too much, in R.R.s opinion, to be the normal treatment.

He was then bundled in a mountain of blankets and wrapped tightly with the covers, save for his arm, so he couldn't escape. That didn't mean he didn't try. On the contrary, he tried three times. Each attempt failed and only added to his misery and embarrassment. He had cursed and cursed Toudou inside his mind. The man, during the whole time, just stood there against the wall no matter how much R.R. had glared daggers at him with his eyes.

He had gotten, slowly but surely, furious with the treatment. He wasn't an invalid, so why were they acting he was? Even an actual dislocated wrist didn't require this much treatment. And, he couldn't have told that to Suzaku, who was having more fun he should from the situation, because he was bundled up in the blankets so much!

R.R. sighed, returning to the present time. He stared at his drawing, and an eye twitched. It was horrible. He looked down hatefully at the cast around his wrist, wishing he could take it off. But he didn't, knowing what would happen after he did, having already done that once.

Chika and Suzaku had panicked, or at least Suzaku did. Chika had 'panicked', feigning the emotion. His wrist was promptly set in with a new cast and brace. Then, he found out his time as an invalid was lengthened by that action.

Yes, he wasn't going to do that again. He turned his attention back to his picture.

R.R. drew Suzaku's hair in the picture he was currently on, but then erased a part of it. He brushed the eraser scraps away. Earlier, he had switched to using a pencil to experiment and conserve paper. He sketched the boy's bangs, but messed up again. Eraser fragments piled on the floor to his increased irritation. His wrist's reduced mobility and flexibility didn't help much with his drawing efforts.

This cycle continued until the floor was littered with eraser. R.R. sighed in defeat, and set down the book, pencil, and eraser. He couldn't draw today. Also, an issue kept on popping up in his mind. An issue that was tall, muscled, and had a name that started with the letter 'J'.

Jiro.

Yes, it was Jiro, the bodyguard. R.R. wasn't too sure on why the other man was so hostile towards him, but he had a feeling it was something to do with honor and his roots belonging in Britannia. Nonetheless, he was getting tired and sick of it.

In the beginning, it was tolerable, being glares and dark looks. Nothing was too bad. Then, the longer R.R. stayed in the Kururugi house, the more drastic Jiro's actions became.

First, it started by not telling him it was dinnertime once. He found out later that Chika had told the bodyguard to tell him. Then, it was giving him wrong directions as to where Suzaku was in the house. Yes, R.R. sometimes left Suzaku's side, but it wasn't for excessively long periods of time, staying within shouting distance if necessary.

Recently, the small gestures had escalated to full-blow physical actions. If R.R. was walking down the hall alone and Jiro just happened to pass by, R.R. would get shoved roughly by the shoulder. If he was going around the dinner table, there was no doubt Jiro would be waiting to subtly stick his foot out and trip him. There were countless other times where the bodyguard had displayed similar actions, but R.R. wasn't going to list them all.

Now, the question was, what was he going to do about it?

R.R. could complain about it to the others, sure that they would defend him. He chuckled. Suzaku would ask with those big, innocent eyes why Jiro was being so mean to his friend. Chika would walk up to the man, arms akimbo, and threaten to whack him over the head with one of her beloved frying pans. Toudou probably would walk up to Jiro and give him a long talking-to.

If he decided to take this course of action, the problem would be solved. However, R.R. closed his eyes in thought. Doing so would make him seem like a whiny brat, unable to stand for himself. Also, it would be dishonorable.

R.R. sighed. When did his life become so complicated? Though, compared to the past, it was pretty tame. A chuckle came from his lips. Had he really become so soft? It was almost unimaginable. Now back to the matter at hand…

He opened his eyes and got up. He exited the room and began to aimlessly wander the halls.

He could arrange a meeting between the two of them and then write down his answers… R.R. quickly shot that idea down. It was too cumbersome and Jiro would most likely get frustrated at him and walk out, ending the meeting, since writing more time consuming than verbal answers. Doing _that_ would just worsen the already horrible relationship between the two.

Another option was open, but R.R. was hesitant about it. It involved him directly speaking to Jiro, like he did with Suzaku. To be honest, he wasn't comfortable with the idea. Speaking like that, to R.R, was personal between Suzaku and himself. It was something he was reluctant to share with the bodyguard. It felt like secret, known only between two people.

However, if that's what it took to better the relationship between R.R. and Jiro, R.R. would do it. R.R. nodded, that's what he would do. He stiffened as he saw the subject had been thinking out come around the corner. Hastily, he sent a thought up to whoever was aware of his situation, saying just because he thought up an idea to settle things between him and Jiro _did not_ mean that he was ready to confront the man yet. But still, it was too late. The bodyguard was getting closer to R.R. every second he waited.

R.R. took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming conversation. He raised an arm and reached forward, about to touch Jiro's hand. Suddenly, his senses told him something wasn't right and he instinctively ducked.

Luckily, he was right and Jiro's hand rushed through the air above his head. He winced. Judging from the force and speed of the blow he just dodged, he would've received a lovely lump if he hadn't avoided it. He quickly threw himself to the side and rolled to pass by a kick. Jiro saw this and changed the course of his foot. The third attem[t clipped R.R. on the side. R.R. winced at the sudden pain. That was going to bruise. He got up and shifted to a loose pose he learned from watching Toudou and Suzaku, but it was unneeded.

"Don't you dare touch me, you Britannian filth!" Jiro growled, and then stalked away. R.R. blinked, not understanding what just happened. When it finally caught up with him, he decided to forego his idea of speaking with the bodyguard. It wasn't worth it. Though, now he had another matter to ponder on.

R.R. shrugged. No matter, he would find a solution. He always did, he thought, a plan already starting to form in his mind.

Jiro stormed out of the house, his coat flaring angrily behind him. He roughly jerked the handle of one of the vehicles parked at the side of house and quickly drove away to town. R.R. blinked in surprise at the man's harsh actions, and then shrugged. He returned to his sketchbook. It was none of his concern.

He would see realize how wrong he was.

Jiro walked through the town, his hands in his pockets. His hands caressed the money he had in his coat. Maybe he could afford to buy a drink or two? He paused in front of a bar, debating. Then, he slid the doors open and entered. He walked straight towards the bar with great familiarity and sat at one of the seats.

"Two bottles of your strongest sake!" he called out. The current bartender turned around and saw the man. She grinned flirtatiously.

"Ah, Jiro-san. Back again? How are you?" Jiro glared at her.

"Just give me my sake." The bartender wagged a finger at his statement.

"Now, that wasn't very nice, was it?" she chided. "You should be nicer to your favorite girl." The bodyguard frowned at her assumption.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested!" The other surrounding customers just ignored the two. This was a regular occurrence. The women sighed dramatically and put a hand on her brow.

"Rejected, again. How many times do I have to ask you before you say 'yes'? You're so cruel, Jiro-san." She said in a hurt voice. The bodyguard wasn't affected by it and his frown deepened.

"Just give me my drink." The women sighed and waved a dismissive hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be in a moment." She grumbled as she turned around, grabbed the two ordered bottles. Why did she have to act all nice again? Oh yeah, because the man was a regular customer. But seriously, the man needed to lighten up. Did he ever smile? She slammed the bottles down on the countertop.

"Here you go." She said cheerily. Jiro didn't even bother to thank her before pouring it on a dish and drinking it down. The bartender just rolled her eyes, before moving toward another customer.

The entrance doors slid open again to let in another person in, but Jiro didn't pay them any attention, taking another long pull at his drink. He didn't look when the newcomer chose to sit next to him. The person ordered a thinned down bottle of sake and he snorted into his bottle. The other couldn't even hold her drink!

When the bartender gave the newcomer her order, the girl sipped the dish quietly and conservatively. The two sat in silence for a while. Then, the girl spoke.

"You're Jiro Watanabe, correct?" The bodyguard glanced to the side.

"What's it to you?" The other had a small smile on her face behind her bottle. Her amber eyes glimmered in amusement from behind her low hat.

"I'll take that as a yes. How are you?" Jiro looked at the girl suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he demanded. The woman swished her dish around, staring at the rotating sake.

"You can call me C.C." Jiro set his sake down and stared long and hard at C.C. The girl paid him no mind as she sipped at her sake. She linked her ankles together in a calm fashion, waiting. Finally, Jiro spoke.

"That's just like that other _boy_." He spat out. C.C. raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Oh?" she said. "Might you be referring to this 'boy'?" She pulled a picture out of her coat and set it on the table, pushing it towards him. Jiro picked the picture up and looked at it. R.R.'s blank expression stared back at him, his normally vibrant violet eyes a dull purple. He set the photo down.

"Yes, how do you have this picture? I thought he was just a stupid Britannian hiding in the woods." C.C. chuckled, returning the picture to her coat.

"Oh no, that's not right at all. He's more than he looks. You see, this 'boy' is a very important… member of the organization I'm working with. He's been missing for a year now, and we want him back."C.C. sipped her sake. Jiro liked where this was going, but was still suspicious of the women.

"Are you a Britannian like him?" C.C. laughed and waved a dismissive gesture.

"Does it really matter if I am or not? You want him out of the picture and we want him where he belongs. So, why don't we work together?" She held out a hand and looked at him with her amber eyes. "Are you going to disappoint me?" Jiro chuckled and accepted the offered appendage.

"No, of course not." C.C. smirked.

"Good."

Back at the Kururugi household, R.R.'s hand twitched for a moment and messed up a line. He groaned, mentally whining. He was almost done too! He glared hatefully at his hand. Why did it have to ruin the picture? But deep down inside, R.R. knew exactly why that happened, and he dreaded it with a passion. He sighed.

He was running out of time, and soon he would have to leave Suzaku.

That night, R.R. was internally debating whether or not to hint to Suzaku that he might be leaving soon. His eyes drifted to the boy changing into the proper sleepwear. He didn't want to tell the boy, but what was the best choice of action? What his heart dictated or what his mind schemed? His frowned furrowed in thought, his mouth a stern frown.

"R.R.?" Suzaku's voice drifted to him. "What are you thinking about?" The men looked up at Suzaku and saw the complete honesty and trust in the boy's eyes. He closed his own and made his decision. He held out a hand, smiling reassuringly.

'_I'll tell you later some other day.' _He said. Suzaku pouted, but didn't protest. R.R. never lied, at least not to him. If he said he would tell, he would tell. It was just a matter of when. His eyes fell on the sketchbook lying on the ground. He brightened up and stood up.

"I'll be back in a moment." The boy went into the hall. R.R. looked curiously at the opened door and blinked. What was Suzaku's thinking? He soon received his answer when the boy came back with a couple sheets of paper and a pencil. "Look what I got!" Suzaku giggled, holding the material in his hands up. R.R. raised an eyebrow in question and touched the boy's wrist.

'_What are you going to do with all this?'_ he asked. Suzaku looked at him funnily, as if the answer was obvious, which it was, but only to him.

"I'm going to draw of course! You draw all the time. I want to try."

'_Don't you do brush painting?' _The boy nodded.

"Yes," he said agreeing, "but it's different."

'_How?'_ Suzaku opened his mouth, but closed it only to open it again. Then he closed it. Repeating his actions multiple times, R.R. said, _'Do that enough times and you'll stay stuck like a goldfish forever.'_ Suzaku's mouth snapped shut. _'So, how is pencil or pen drawing different from brush painting?' _

"I…" Suzaku started, getting flustered. "You use different things. In brush painting you use a brush and in pencil or pen drawings, you use pencil or pen!"

'_Thank you for stating the obvious,'_ was said dryly. _'Like I didn't know that.'_ Suzaku flushed in embarrassment and crossed his arms.

"They just are, alright?" There was a chuckle.

'_Fine, fine. What are you going to draw?'_ Suzaku pointed at R.R.

"You!" The man was surprised.

'_Me?'_ he questioned, pointing at himself, dread tickling his stomach. _'Why me?'_ He was relieved when the boy shrugged.

"I don't know."

'_Then why not…'_ There was a pause as R.R. scanned the room, searching for something else that the boy could draw. He spotted something and nodded towards it. _'That lantern over there.' _

Suzaku wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Why would I want to draw a lantern? You're much better, unless you don't want me to draw you…" R.R. felt the stirrings of panic at Suzaku's dejected tone and shook his head.

'_No, no, no, it's fine. You can draw me if you want to. I was just making sure you did.'_ He put a hand behind his head. _'It's fine, really.'_ Suzaku looked at the man.

"Are you sure?" R.R. nodded and the boy beamed. "Okay then. Look that way." The man turned to stare at the direction the boy pointed to.

'_Is this right?'_ Suzaku smiled.

"Yep! Now look just a little bit down." R.R. dropped his chin. "No! Not like that. Like this!" The man let Suzaku poke and prod him in place, and then primp his hair.

'_Hey! What are you doing to my hair?'_ R.R. said when he felt his hair being played with. He shifted his face. There was a light rap on his head.

"Don't move." Suzaku commanded, parting the white locks so some of them lay artfully in front of R.R.'s face. R.R. just sighed as he felt himself get poked and prodded again.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Here's Chapter 7! I hope it wasn't too disappointing. And also, sorry about the lateness of this chapter! I was so be done with chapter eight by the time I posted this, but right now chapter eight isn't finished. Right now, I'm working at a county fair with a friend. Because of that, I thought I would be able to write more. Instead, I write even less and maybe have more holes in my story. So, the rate I update may become longer and less consistant. If you find any in future chapters from eight on up, please please tell me!

Thank you for reviewing: ame no itteki, Airiko-the-Angel13, Devil's Melody, 2stupid, Shinigami966890, Nusku, key46812, fan-fan31, Regina, slivblue, shiai10, Spartan Eragon, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, and chaos-winged-valkryrie.

Review please? They make my day. :)

Lots of Love,  
Shini


	8. Chapter 8

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 8

* * *

R.R. groped blindly forward with a hand while Suzaku carefully guided him to an unknown destination, his eyes covered by a black blindfold.

He had been doing finishing touches when the boy rushed into his room. He had a suspicion of what was going on, but didn't voice it out loud.

_'Where are we going?'_ The man asked. Suzaku made a shushing gesture, but then remembered R.R. couldn't see.

"I can't tell you!" he chirped. "It's a surprise!" R.R. raised a questioning eyebrow from behind the blindfold and just followed the boy's direction. He knew where they were heading toward the kitchen, but stayed silent, letting Suzaku have his fun.

They went down the hall and turned right and Suzaku exclaimed, "We're here!" R.R. feigned ignorance.

_'Where's "here"?' _ He asked, but Suzaku never answered the question. There was the sound of a door being opened.

"Surprise!" he said. The blindfold was whipped off of his eyes. He blinked at the sudden light. When his eyes adjusted, he was greeted by a bouncing Suzaku, a slightly smiling Toudou, and a beaming Chika. Jiro was noticeably missing.

Then, R.R.'s eyes widened at the cake in Chika's hands. It was artfully covered in frosting and strawberries, which they knew was R.R.'s favorite fruit. His hand searched for Suzaku's. The boy clasped onto the appendage reassuringly.

_'What's this?'_ R.R. said quietly. Suzaku giggled.

"It's a New Year's Eve party, of course! It is a surprise for you!"

"Was, Suzaku-sama. It _was_ a surprise for you." Chika corrected. The boy pouted. Toudou just looked on amused.

_'Make that expression long enough and it'll stick to your face forever.'_ Suzaku only pouted further. R.R. switched tactics. _'How about we get to the cake already, hmm? I'm pretty hungry, how about you?' _The boy's expression changed at that statement and he bounded over to Chika. He tugged on her arm.

"Chika-chan, R.R. says he's hungry. Can we have the cake?" The maid chuckled at his usage of 'we', and not 'him', and nodded.

"Go to the table and I'll cut it up for you. I'll be back in a moment to get a knife." She put the cake down and went to the kitchen. The remaining three sat down around the dessert.

Suzaku looked eagerly at the cake, his mouth hanging open in desire. R.R.'s eyes were staring hungrily at the strawberries. Toudou was glancing between the two amusedly, his thoughts clearly on his face. Chika returned with the cutting utensil.

"Hurry up and cut it!" Suzaku said excitedly, bouncing in his seat. "I'm hungry!" Chika slowed her walking at that exclamation, exaggerated her actions. "Chika-chan!" the boy whined. Even Toudou gave her a look. Chika clucked her tongue disapproving at the two.

"What happened to the two patient boys I knew?" Toudou answered this question.

"When one of your cakes is at stake, I think this is a reasonable explanation to be impatient. And for the record, I am not a little boy like Suzaku here."

"Hey!"

R.R. just silently sat between the two and stared at the red fruit dotting the top and sides of the cake. Toudou subtly nudged the silent man. "Isn't that right, R.R.? That Chika's cakes are a good reason to be impatient?" The man jerked up at the elbow and mention of his name. Suzaku joined in.

"You agree with Toudou-sensei, right? Right?" R.R. blinked, and then furiously nodded, his eyes straying back to the strawberries. Chika laughed.

"He doesn't even know what he agreed to!" She turned to focus on R.R. "You just agreed to have this delicious cake thrown in your face." She teased. R.R.'s eyes widened and he shook his head, waving his hands in front of him in protest.

All the other three laughed at his demise. The sound rang through the kitchen.

R.R. gazed forlornly at the remaining piece on the main platter, but alas, so was everyone else. They all looked at each other, accessing. Then suddenly, they sprung into actions and lunged at it, forks poised to attack.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and Suzaku, Chika, and Toudou paused in surprise to search for the source of the sound. With a smug smile on his face, R.R. speared the remaining strawberry on the dish and ate it deliciously without a sound. When the other three returned their eyes to the cake plate, they gawked at the empty dish.

R.R. silently laughed. They brooded over the loss of the last strawberry.

Chika was openly crying, sobbing false tears.

Suzaku had stuck his fork into his mouth, mourning.

But Toudou's reaction was the best, in R.R.'s opinion. The man was staring at the plate with a solemn expression, eyebrows furrowed. His mouth was in a stern frown. The face R.R. was seeing now was extremely similar to the one he saw when Toudou was in deep thought… over battle and victory. Now, it was over the last strawberry, a trivial matter. R.R. wanted to laugh at the future general.

Then, Suzaku stood up and took the silently laughing man's hand.

"Presents!" he chirped. "We can't forget the presents!" He rushed to another room with R.R. in tow, jumping once in awhile. There was a pile of wrapped gifts in the center. A small tree stood next to the boxes, decorated lightly in ornaments. R.R.'s eyes widened at the sight.

_'You couldn't have…'_ he breathed. Suzaku nodded a huge grin on his face.

"Yep! We searched up how Britannians did New Years and set up a surprise party for you! We got the tree, presents, and everything. Though," he added as an afterthought, "It's not really much of a surprise anymore, since you know about it now."Chika chuckled.

"Well, all surprises are found out eventually, Suzaku-sama. Or it wouldn't be a surprise." Suzaku's eyebrows came together.

"But that doesn't make sense!" Chika batted the statement away with an arm motion and question.

"So, how do you like it R.R.?" Toudou added another sentence.

"Kururugi-sama and Jiro aren't home, so we didn't need to sneak around and have any trouble bringing all this in." Suzaku's face fell a little at the mention of his father. R.R. shot a glare at the future general. Toudou just raised an eyebrow back. "It's the truth." R.R. rolled his eyes at the defensive tone the other man had, but laid a hand on Suzaku's clenched fists.

_'I'm sure the reason why your father isn't here today is a good one, and that he's thinking of you every time he goes out. He loves you. And after all, he is the almighty Prime Minister of Japan after all.'_ He said comfortingly. Suzaku nodded, albeit a little bit unhappily. _'That's the spirit.'_ R.R. encouraged, ruffling the boy's hair so it was messier than before.

"Hey!" Suzaku protested, raised his hands to ward the other off, his negative expression gone. "Don't do that!" R.R. smiled. All the conditions have been met. Mission: cheer up Suzaku. Status: complete and successful.

That night found Suzaku and R.R. getting ready for bed. Suzaku had a big, contented smile on his face. On the other hand, R.R. didn't share the same sentiments, his thoughts were whirling inside is mind. Once again, he was feeling conflicted, even more so than last time. His sense of anticipation of him leaving had increase threefold today during the celebration, and he had acted according to it, changing back to his lab issued straightjacket. He had a feeling there was something involved in his departure, an unknown variable he missed in his plans, but he checked his plans inside out and found no error. His calculations couldn't be wrong.

"R.R.?" Suzaku's voice broke into his thoughts. "Are you thinking again?" he asked worriedly. "About that thing that you said you would tell me later earlier?" R.R. simply nodded. "Oh," the boy said, not pushing the subject. The man held out a hand in an open invitation.

_'Do you really wish to know what I was thinking about, truly?' _ He asked in a serious tone. The boy nodded, sensing something was different this time than the previous times they've talked. He sat down prepared himself to listen. But, the first question still caught him off guard.

_ 'If I had to leave for a very long time, what would you do?'_ After registering the question, Suzaku laughed and lightly bopped R.R. on the head.

"You're not going anywhere, silly head. You're staying here, with me!" R.R. looked seriously at the boy.

_'But if I _did_ have to leave, what would you do?'_ Suzaku frowned at the repeated question, not liking it, and shifted his legs. His answer was slow to come.

"If you left," he finally said in a small voice, "I wouldn't know what to do." R.R's heart nearly broke at the tone that sentence was said in, but pulled himself together. His grip tightened fiercely.

_'Then you better figure out something to do, Suzaku Kururugi, because I'm not staying here for much longer.'_ The man mentally winced. He didn't mean it to come out that harsh. The boy's eyes blinked, and then widened in raw shock and disbelief.

"What?" R.R. strengthened his resolve. He had to make this hurt Suzaku, the more the better. His lip curled uncharacteristically in displeasure.

_'I said, I'm not staying here for much longer, or are you deaf boy?' _The boy's lips quivered. R.R. had never referred to him in such a manner.

"W-why?" he stuttered. "Why are you leaving?" R.R. arrogantly turned his head, closing his eyes in the process.

_'Why, you ask?'_ Cruel laughter filled Suzaku's mind. His fist pounded into the ground, hard. _'The reason is right in front of me!'_ The man looked back at the boy, his eyes narrowed in slits. The violet orbs glimmering at the intense feeling he was experiencing.

Suzaku drew back, as if he had been physically struck, his face losing its color.

"M-me?" he choked out. "How could it have been me? I was a good friend wasn't I? I always played with you, shared with you, everything with you!"R.R. bitterly chuckled at that statement.

_'That's exactly why I'm leaving! You're always following me around, like a lost sheep, never letting me be alone! I'm a grown man. I don't need a little sniveling brat following me around everywhere I go!' _

Suzaku's eyes welled up with tears. R.R. turned away, closing his eyes again. A tear ran down one side of his face, but the boy didn't see it, facing the other side. The drop fell onto the ground unnoticed.

_'And that's why, I'm leaving. I'm not sure when, but have no doubt I will be gone before the winter is over. I have to leave before…' _R.R. trailed off, almost telling Suzaku of the dire situation. He cursed himself at his slipup. He stood up to leave.

The man got three steps before he was stopped by the Suzaku. He looked down in surprise at the little boy clinging to his leg. Suzaku's face was buried in the pant leg.

"Please don't go," he said, the material muffling his voice. "You don't really mean it, right? You're just joking." R.R.'s eyes softened and he raised a hand to affectionately brush Suzaku's cheek.

"You're just joking…" Suzaku trailed off. He looked up hopefully, only to see the man's violet eyes harden like stone. It happened before he knew it.

Everything seemed to pause at that moment for him. Suzaku let out a small gasp of shock. The sound reverberated in the air, echoed throughout the air. The boy felt something inside him slowly crack, and then jaggedly break into two pieces at the contact. They clunked to the ground with an ominous sound. His unshed tears flew into the air. Then, everything returned to normal.

Suzaku slowly raised a small hand shakily to his cheek. Then, he looked up at R.R.'s risen hand with disbelief.

"What…?" R.R. slapped him again. This time, the boy registered what was happening. His face contorted to grief and he lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

"You aren't joking, are you?" he said softly. R.R.'s expression tightened and he sharply nodded in confirmation.

_'No,'_ he said simply. _'I'm not.'_ He gently pushed the slack hands from their grip and let go. They fell back to Suzaku's sides limply. The boy spoke.

"Then what about our promise?" he asked without looking up. "What about the promise that we made saying we'd be together forever?" R.R. didn't answer, in fear of giving himself away. He turned around and walked towards the door. The entrance slid open. He didn't look back.

Suzaku watched the man go between his bangs, the feeling in his chest becoming unbearable.

The door slammed close.

Suzaku bowed his head, his vision blurring. He blinked multiple times to clear it and wiped his eyes with a sleeve. Then, his eyes fell to the ground in front of him. Then, an odd expression crossed his face. If that's how R.R. wanted it, who was he to deny the man? He was, _is_ he corrected, after all his friend.

Suzaku snuggled under his bed covers and tightly clenched the blankets. His face was sad and tearstained. He turned on his side, curling up, away from the door R.R. had left from. He closed his eyes. The boy didn't notice the door inch open, briefly illuminating the room.

The moon's light crept on the ground like a bright snake. There was a glitter from the ground, the liquid brushed on the wood. Then, it was dark.

R.R. closed the door for the second time with a sigh, his chest constricting painfully. His body sagged, as if a great burden had been put on his back. He closed his eyes to stop the tears from flowing, but still a few escaped. His hand went up to clench the material over his heart, the hand he had struck the boy with into a fist. How could he? How could he have hit such a sweet, innocent boy? R.R. didn't deserve to be near Suzaku after what he had done. He was… A fiend? A monster? A demon? He couldn't find a word befitting of what he was.

It had pained R.R. to say all that, but he couldn't delay any longer. The caged feeling he had since the last time he encountered Jiro had increased exponentially to a great amount. If he had a choice, he would've never said such barbed words to the little boy, but he didn't have a choice. He never had a choice. The man walked into the night, his footsteps lightly imprinting into the snow. Everything was going the way it should be, he thought with regret, but it was going the way it should be, like always.

The entire household was quiet and slumbering, lost in dreams. It was silent. The moon was bright in the sky and shone brilliantly. A cloud slowly moved over it, blocking the light. When the white orb was completely covered, four figures appeared darkly from the trees. They raced across the front lawn to split into three different directions. One went to the left side, two to the right, and one to the front. Their footsteps were printed into the snowy ground.

The sliding door opened slowly, but the wood slid with a slight brushing noise. Toudou's conscious returned to him with a sharp snap. He kept his eyes closed and breathing even as he heard footsteps approaching his futon. There was a metallic hissing noise of steel being withdraw from its sheath. There was a moment of silence and Toudou sprung into action.

Chika stayed steadfastly asleep when a thin moonbeam fell across her face. The door slid shut and she mumbled. There was a pause, and then feet lightly pranced on the floor. After a while, there was a loud creak and Chika turned over on her bed. Then, the sound of something delicate shattering was heard. Chika woke with a gasp.

Two masked figures slid in the room, one with an unusual familiarity. The door was silently closed. One of the figures exited the room, intended on finding his target. Lightly approaching the futon, the other paused. He gazed at the little sleeping boy with surprising gentleness, as if printing the picture in front of him to his memory. Slowly, he reached forward with a gloved hand to brush some wayward strands of hair out of the way. He smiled softly. He was about to pick up the boy when a loud scream broke into the night. Silence shattered like glass.

Toudou stared down at the unconscious figure lying at his feet and frowned. The other had been weak, too weak. There had to be a reason for that. Suddenly, a shrill cry tore through the house and his eyes widened, knowing instantly what, or who, the source of scream was.

"Chika!" he said, and bolted for the maid's room.

Chika's eyes were open to an almost impossible size, frozen in fear as she stared at the armed figure in front of her. Her eyes were riveted at the silver blade in his hands. The thin edge shone in the dark gloom. She stepped backwards as the man moved towards her until she stumbled against a wall.

The maid pressed herself against the wood, as if trying to go through. The figure moved closer, and closer, and even closer until they were only inches apart. Her breath hitched in her throat as the tip of the sword drew a fine line across her throat. She didn't dare swallow, in fear of cutting herself.

The blade swung and the attacker shook visibly, and Chika shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to witness her own death. She waited, but nothing came. Cautiously, she cracked in eye open and gasped. Toudou was stand above the crumpled figure of the assailant.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sheathing his blade. The maid jerkily nodded, her eyes pinned on her attacker's prone body. Toudou noticed where she was staring at and nodded at the body. "Don't worry. He's not dead, just unconscious." Chika sighed and placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her wildly beating heart. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She tried to speak many times, but there was no success. Finally, she regained her voice.

"How is Suzaku-sama?" she first asked. Toudou smiled at her concern. Even though she was attacked and could've possibly died, in the end she was still worried about the little boy.

"I haven't checked on him yet. How about we go together?" The maid managed a small, slightly strained smile.

"You should've checked him first, he…" she never got to finish her sentence, for another loud yell was heard in the night. "Suzaku-sama!" Chika gasped.

"Suzaku!" Toudou said, worried.

Deep in the woods, R.R.'s ears twitched up at the cry and he turned around to run back to the house. Something wasn't right. The first one he knew was Chika's. He had thought she yelled upon discovering his lack of presence. The second one, however, was Suzaku's. Unlike what he had expected to hear, should the boy scream, what he heard was full of surprise, shock, and fear.

"R.R.!" The man hurried his running. He prayed he wasn't too late.

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And here's Chapter 8! I've left a cliffie for all you guys! Yay! I hope nobody was OOC at the cake scene or anywhere else. I hope this made you guys happy, since something major seems to be happening, instead of endless happiness. Writing this chapter during the part where R.R. and Suzaku separated was sad for me. If it wasn't for you, then please tell me how it could be better and such. Also, a few of you said the description of R.R. wasn't the best of sorts and the end of the last chapper confused a couple of you. I'll try to slip his appearance in somewhere.

Like I said earlier, I'm getting really busy and the pace I'm updating will probably slow down because of that. I'm terribly sorry, but I can't do anything about it! I'm trying to steal a couple moments here and there to finish these chapters. I'm like dying at the rate I'm going (not really, but still)! I can't seem to find the time to type and it's worrying me... And next week is probably going to be worse! In addition, I'm having computer problems... (Sorry you had to read the rant.)

Thank you for reviewing: ame no itteki, Airiko-the-Angel13, Nusku, 2stupid, Devil's Melody, chaos-winged-valkryrie, Shinigami966890, HaremBishie, fan-fan31, LelouchForever, Bea, shiai10, Nusku, slivblue, key46812, Regina, Spartan Eragon, and ochibi-chwan. I love you guys lots! When I came home today, I was surprised to see so many reviews! I'm so happy!

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Wow, this is a really long AN. Well, I went back and fixed a couple stuff, added a bit more to the separation part. I hope you guys like it! It's a bit drastic, but I guess R.R. is a guy who is clean, cut, and clear. After all, a clean break is easier to heal from than a fractured break. ^_~

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Lots (and lots) of love,  
Shini


	9. Chapter 9

_Of Promises and Lies-_ Chapter 9

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Toudou and Chika ran hurriedly through the house's corridors towards Suzaku's room, panic in their faces. Toudou had his sword drawn, ready to attack and defend. Chika was armed with a broom she had found along the way.

Running through the hallways to their destination without caution or knowledge of what awaited them at the end was dangerous. But, their personal wellbeing and safety wasn't their first priority. Suzaku was.

Then, they were suddenly stopped by a figure standing in their way. Toudou pushed Chika behind him protectively and leveled his sword at the unknown man. He was surprised when the other started clapping in a loud and mocking manner.

"Off to save dear Suzaku, are we?" The man placed his right hand on his brow in theatrical gesture looking at Chika. "Oh, Suzaku-sama! We have to save Suzkau-sama! Suzaku-sama! Suzaku-sama! Suzaku-sama! Well, I can assure you your 'Suzaku-sama' is fine, for the moment." He shifted his gaze to Toudou, ignoring Chika's surprised reaction to his statements.

"We have to get past this enemy as fast as possible. He smirked. "Distracting me won't work. You won't be able to knock me unconscious fast enough. And I'm not letting you escape by retreating." Mao said, reading the thoughts as Toudou thought of them. "I'm going to stop you, that's all there is to it."He twirled around like a child, "And that's all there will be."

"Who are you?" Toudou demanded, unnerved by the man's ability to give the impression that he was reading his mind. The man stopped going in circles and took a deep bow with a flourishing gesture and grin.

"You can call me Mao. And don't be so quick to brush that thought aside. What if I can really read what you're thinking?" Toudou's frown deepened.

"I don't believe in such fairy tales." Mao's grin widened crazily at that sentence.

"We'll see if you do after this."

Suzaku looked in horror at the masked figure leaning over him. A hand was very close to him, too close for his comfort. Why didn't R.R. come? Did he truly not care for Suzaku anymore? He thought he did, but now he didn't know. What he did know, however, was that after he had yelled the name of the first person that came to his mind, the figure above him had gotten very angry.

"Of all people you know, you call for _that_ Britannian? Why not somebody else? Why _him_ of all people?"

Suzaku jolted, the gears in his mind turning. That voice sounded very familiar, but he couldn't remember who exactly it was. The attacker seemed to know what he was thinking and growled. "You still don't know who I am, _Suzaku_?" The boy's eyes widened. Wait, the way his name was said… only one person ever did that, and that person was…

"Jiro!" Suzaku exclaimed, sitting up in the process. The man chuckled and took his mask off.

"You are correct, Suzaku." An unmasked Jiro grabbed toward the small boy, but Suzaku crawled backwards at the last moment. The bodyguard growled and moved to grab the boy again. This time, he was successful and lifted the frantically wriggling boy up over his shoulder. He started to walk out the door. Suzaku kicked and punched and bit the man, but none of these actions had any effect on the burly bodyguard.

"Let me go, Jiro! I don't want to go!" Jiro just laughed.

"Don't worry Suzaku, where you're going will be better than this! You'll be with me, not that stupid Britannian!" The boy pounded his fists against the man's back.

"I don't want to be with you! I want to be with R.R.! Let me go! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Jiro stopped walking, not because of the fists but because of the words. He frowned, and with a growl he tossed Suzaku to the wooden walkway.

Suzaku looked up at the towering man, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears. His back, legs, and arms were sore, but other than those, he was relatively fine.

"You…" Jiro snarled, raising a booted foot up. "You little brat! Do you know how much trouble I went through to be able to do this?"

Suzaku cried out as the foot impacted his side. He instinctively curled into a tight ball and covered his head, whimpering at the blow. His arms were kicked aside and a burst of pain erupted at his head. It made his vision swim. He saw stars, blindingly white. The specks seemingly to almost completely dominate his eyes. He put a hand up to feel his head. It came back wet, warm, and sticky. He blinked slowly at his red-coated hand. It was strange, he dazedly pondered, like he wasn't connected to his body anymore. Was he a ghost?

Then, he heard a loud noise and he turned his head to the source of the sound. There was a snowy white head and deep purple eyes there.

"_R.R.?"_ he thought. Was that the man? Suzaku thought he had left him all alone. Why didn't he come when he first yelled…?

R.R. launched himself at Jiro, hoping his acceleration would compensate for his lack of body weight. Luckily, it did and sent the two of them tumbling off the platform to the snowy ground. The bodyguard lifted his head and saw R.R.

"You!" he said menacingly. "What are you doing here?" R.R. didn't bother paying the comment any attention and raised a fist to punch the other man. It was easily caught to his dismay. He let out a gasp of air as his hand was crushed in Jiro's fist, the breathe coming out in a puff of white smoke. He quickly withdrew the injured appendage, already feeling it healing itself, and looked over to see if Suzaku was alright. He smiled slightly.

Suzaku looked alright, if only a bit battered, but his head was a different matter. R.R. frowned at the wound. It didn't look terribly bad, and he knew head wounds always looked worse than they really were, bleeding more than any other body part. Though, R.R. thought worriedly, was it normal for it look _that_ bad? He shook his head. He was exaggerating the situation.

Jiro used R.R.'s momentary distraction to swing his fist around. It connected solidly with R.R.'s delicately boned jaw. The violet-eyed man heard it crack with an ugly sound. He was sent flying backwards three feet from Jiro. Wincing, he raised a hand to nurse his jaw and pop it back in place. Then he raised his eyes to assess the man. It was obvious the bodyguard wouldn't listen to anything he said, so blinded by anger and hate. That was supported by his violent actions towards Suzaku, the boy was he was assigned to protect, R.R. mused.

Jiro was a heavy man, and extremely muscled. He was also a bodyguard, so he must know some hand-to-hand combat. His arms and legs were also dangerous to R.R. One direct blow from a punch or kick and he would be out like a light, leaving Suzaku defenseless. That wouldn't do. R.R.'s eyes narrowed in thought, but he spared a small moment to flicker his eyes to Suzaku's prone form.

R.R. had a thin body, and most definitely didn't have the power to overwhelm the bodyguard. His experience in fighting was limited to what Toudou had taught Suzaku, and what he read up in books in the past. Overall, he didn't really know how to fight. He nearly cursed himself for his lack of ability. How was he supposed to defeat this man? It was clear he was out of his league. He backed away to buy himself some more time.

Briefly back at the house, Mao was pouting over the motionless figures of Toudou and Chika. They hadn't had any juicy parts in their past he could use against. It hadn't been really fun with them. Then, he shrugged in a nonchalant manner. It didn't matter. As long as he had C.C., everything was fine. Mao grinned at the thought of the girl and happily went back outside.

Jiro started to charge and R.R. tensed in anticipation. He shifted all his weight to the balls of his feet, a plan forming in his mind.

If Jiro acted as he thought the bodyguard would, then this shouldn't take too long and he shouldn't get hurt. Getting hurt wasn't a major problem for R.R., but just because he healed from fatal wounds didn't mean he wanted to die at every chance possible.

If Jiro didn't act as R.R. thought he would… R.R. would be in a world of wonderfully unwelcome pain, but theoretically nothing bad would happen to him. Theoretically.

He spaced his feet farther apart on the ground, preparing for impact, and held out his hands in front of his body. Jiro's fist came at a fast speed at R.R.'s abdomen and R.R. braced himself. His lip was pressed together in a stern line so tightly that his mouth turned a pale color. His forehead was furrowed in concentration. Focus, he thought, focus! The fist came nearer and nearer. He watched as it seemed to slow in his eyes.

_Now!_

The hand hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. It was enough to damage some internal organs. R.R. skidded on the ground, tufts of snow being thrown into the air. His breathing was labored and raspy, but so was Jiro's. They panted in the cold night air, creating plumes of pale clouds. They stared into the other's eyes. Suddenly, Jiro's eyes rolled to the top of his head and his body collapsed against the other. R.R. struggled to push the heavy man off. Jiro's body fell to the ground once unsupported, sending a few small pieces of snow flying in the air.

R.R. managed to smile a strained smile. His plan was successful, or, he corrected himself, halfway successful. It wasn't a bad percent, fifty, since this plan was hastily put together in less than five seconds under high pressure. So, in other words, it was a high success. He mentally reviewed what had just transpired.

As soon as Jiro's fist had impact R.R.'s hands, R.R. had jumped back as much as he could to absorb the blow. That enabled him to use the bodyguard's power against him. Jiro stumbled at the unexpected action. Then, R.R. had shifted his feet to twist his body to the side, taking advantage of Jiro's instability to give the man a kneed in the gut with his elbow. Behind that action was both R.R. and Jiro's force. The bodyguard didn't stand a chance.

R.R. panted, setting his hands on his knees. He had managed to overcome Jiro. One of his arms rose to circle his midsection where he caught the powerful blow, smiling wryly. His hands and arms were sore also. He had underestimated Jiro's complete strength. As a consequence of his mistake, he hadn't escaped the attack unscathed.

Then, R.R. tensed, feeling a prickly sensation at the back of his neck. There was somebody watching him. He didn't show any surprise, for how could one display surprise when they themselves didn't feel such a feeling? He quietly stood up straight.

'_Hello, C.C.,'_ he said calmly through the telepathic link he, C.C., and V.V. shared, without looking back. '_How are you on this fine day?'_ There was a quiet laugh.

"Ever the gentlemen, I see, R.R." C.C. answered, tossing a few locks of her green hair. "I'm fine. And you?" R.R. slowly turned around to face the other immortal.

'_As fine as I'll ever be,_' he sighed, knowing C.C.'s purpose for being here. _'Whatever you do C.C., I won't willingly return to the Geass Directorate as their eternal lab rat.'_ The green-haired girl laughed.

"Well, if you were more willing to cooperate with V.V. and I," she said, "then you wouldn't have to suffer so." She closed her eyes. "It pains for me to see a fellow immortal being used as a lowly experimental subject." R.R. closed his eyes. C.C. was truthful in her statement, and truly didn't like him being used as a lab rat. That was most likely why the Geass Directorate sent her of all people to retrieve him, but her sympathetic feelings did nothing to help him change his mind.

The Geass Directorate was a group mainly of scientists, researchers, and the subjects they tested on. There were very few civilians there, consisting of the scientists and researchers' families, if they had any. Currently, they were located somewhere in the Chinese Federation.

In general, their main and only focus was the power of the Geass. That alone wasn't much different than a child's curiosity at a newfound toy. The way they pursued the subject, however, was a different matter altogether. So devoted and so obsessed with their cause, the scientists and researchers had long ago abandoned their moral sense.

R.R. narrowed his eyes at the thought.

The scientists and researchers experimented on men, women, and children, but mostly on women and children. They didn't care what happened to their subjects if they died, 'solving' the problem by starting with a fresh, new one. They investigated on manipulating genes in unborn children so when born the offspring would hopefully have the Geass. If they didn't… they would be labeled as failures and eliminated. Luckily, most of the children that weren't born stillborn had the Geass. Some of those children would be raised to learn how to use their Geass to cause havoc and kill others. The others weren't so fortunate and would be shipped to the lab as soon as they were old enough to be used to further research on the Geass.

R.R. was no different from those poor children, ever since the Geass Directorate had found him.

"Will you come back with us and stand alongside V.V. and I?" C.C.'s question broke into his reminiscing. R.R. gave her a mild glare and raised an eyebrow.

'_What do you think, my fair lady?' _he mocked. _'You are telling me to enter the lair of a bloodthirsty dragon to slay it instead of waiting at the entrance to surprise.'_ C.C. shook her head.

"Not if you help us change the world," she protested. "We could do so much with your assistance. Think about how powerful you could become from the fruits of our labor, how revered. I'll even tell you a little something if you agree."

'_And how would three people change the world alone?'_ R.R. drawled. C.C. smiled mysteriously.

"You'll find out when you agree to help us." R.R. shook his head. He already knew how, and was completely against it.

'_You mean "if", my dear C.C."If" I join you and V.V.' _Then he shrugged. _'But I'm not. So what are you going to do about it?'_ C.C. disagreed.

"Where else would you go?" she asked. "An immortal being cannot completely merge into the normal world. We'll always stand out among the crowd. If you join V.V. and I, you could live in a society where we're accepted. You could even be a God if you wanted to."

'_And what if I don't want to be a God? What if I don't agree with your ways?'_ C.C. stared at him.

"In this matter, I believe it would be in your best interest to join."

'_I think in this matter I would like have a choice.'_ R.R. said. C.C. gave him a flat look.

"You know what happens when you're surrounded by mortals." She said. "You will become lonely, starved for true communication."

'_Even if you say that, I still won't.'_ The green-haired girl sighed.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this." She said sadly, "but it seems like it will." She made a beckoning gesture and Mao stepped out behind R.R. The man turned around, bracing himself for an attack, but his defensive stance disappeared when he saw Mao next to Suzaku's body.

R.R. felt the blood drain from his face when he saw Suzaku in Mao's clutches. The boy's upper body was being held up by the shoulders, the head lolling to the side. He had forgotten about the boy when C.C. had come! How could he have been so foolish? The gears in his head started turning to come up with a plan.

Attacking Mao and retrieving Suzaku wasn't a valid action. No doubt C.C. had more than just Mao here with her. He would just be hunted and shot down temporarily by a fatal blow, a good opportunity for C.C. to ship him off to the Chinese Federation. He had nowhere to go anyways, even if he did manage to get away. Running forever would be futile and unhealthy for a young boy. The Geass Directorate had spies everywhere. There was another plan after that, but R.R. immediately discarded it. It would've been impossible to execute.

He clenched his fist in frustration. There was no way out of this situation if he wanted to keep Suzaku safe and away from harm. And as if reading his thoughts, C.C. smiled.

"There is no way out, R.R. Just give up." The man frowned.

'_You know I don't give up, C.C. It's not how I do things.'_ C.C. nodded in agreement, a bit sad. She placed her arms behind her, clasping her hands together.

"And that, ultimately, is your greatest attribute and will be your downfall."

'_You are correct.'_ The girl sighed.

"Mao." Said man drew a knife out and held it Suzaku's unprotected throat with glee, happy that C.C. had finally paid him some attention after so long. R.R.'s eyes widened.

'_You wouldn't!'_ he cried out. _'You wouldn't kill an innocent boy!'_ The green-haired girl nodded with an odd smile.

"Normally, I wouldn't approve of killing innocents. But dear R.R.," she said. "This isn't a normal matter."

'_You're bluffing!'_

"Wouldn't you like to call upon it then, and risk Kururugi's health and life?" Mao held the blade closer. R.R. watched the knife press and slide against the delicate skin. A drop of blood trickled down the column. He watched it with a sickly fascination. He looked into Mao's eyes, already knowing what he would find there. He was right. There was only a childish, crazed obsessive love towards C.C. He transferred his glance to the girl and saw what he needed. He closed his eyes resignedly.

'_Will anything I say or do allow you to let me and Suzaku go peacefully?'_ he asked in a dejected tone, trying one last try even if it was in vain. C.C. laughed merrily at his voice.

"No," she said cheerfully. "You have to come with us, but it's your choice whether or not it's willingly or by force." R.R. felt that statement touch a chord inside him, and then he felt bitter. Of all people to give him such a thing, it was C.C.

Who would've thought?

R.R. sighed and his shoulders slumped.

"You are coming with me, right?"

'_Correct.'_ The man held his hands up in surrender, bowing his head. C.C. grinned triumphantly.

"Then I can tell you!"

'_Tell me what?'_

"A little something. I'll tell you later, when we're somewhere safe." R.R. didn't show any reaction of C.C.'s postponing. He wearily looked up at the other immortal.

'_Then, what are we waiting for?'_ C.C. nodded at Mao. The mind-reader withdrew his blade and released his hold on the boy. R.R. kneeled next to Suzaku, checking to see if he was alright. The boy was fine. R.R. couldn't resist sighing in relief. He tenderly brushed his lips against Suzaku's cheek, sending a single thought, hoping the boy would hear it.

'_Goodbye for now and never._' He said with a small smile. _'Some things just aren't meant to be.' _Then, he stood up, and with jolt, realized C.C. and Mao were waiting for him. They didn't have to wait for him, but they chose to let him stay his goodbye. He felt a small feeling of gratitude in his chest.

"Come," C.C. commanded. "We must go." She turned around to enter the woods with Mao following her. R.R. was seconds behind them, but he spared a moment to look back at the motionless figure lying on the wooden walkway. He knew Chika and Toudou were fine, having being reassured by C.C. that they were still alive, just unconscious. R.R. looked away. Suzaku was in capable hands, more than he could ever offer. The end only paved a new way for the beginning, after all.

Three figures disappeared into the white woodland, leaving behind only footsteps imprinted in the ground.

Then, it started to snow.

* * *

And here's Chapter 9! I hope it meets up to all of your expectations. If not, please tell me how and why. I appreciate feedback, especially for this one. I'm not sure hwo good it is. Thsi one came out to be pretty long. I couldn't find a place to cut it off as a cliffie or something, so it's a bonus for you readers! Yay! If you have any suggestions, comments, and all that jazz, please don't hesitate to leave a note.

Thanks you all who have reviewed, alerted, and/or favorited this story. I'm so happy! Sorry I can't list everyone who has reviewed, but I'm in a rush right now. I'm taking this almost stolen moment to post this up before I leave for the fair. I love everyone lots!

There's a poll concerning the future of this story. It's nothing that bad, don't worry, but I would be grateful if you voted. It will help me decide what to do. The readers' opinions are very important after all!

Lots of love,  
Shini


	10. Chapter 10

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 10

* * *

Suzaku came to consciousness slowly. He blinked his eyes blearily. He heard two voices from both sides, low in volume so as not to wake him. Well, it was too late now. He saw two blurry figures hovering worriedly over his body. They came into focus as he became more aware.

"Toudou-sensei? Chika-chan?" he asked with a slight rasp, sitting up. Chika gave a low sob at the sound. Toudou wordlessly passed the boy a glass of water, but Suzaku could see the concern in his eyes. He accepted the offered cup gratefully and sipped the water. When he had deemed his throat moistened enough to speak, he lowered the cup.

"Where's R.R.?" he asked. He sensed something was wrong when the two exchanged glances. They were hesitant and the answer took a while to come.

"You…" Chika started. "You don't remember?" Suzaku blinked.

"Remember?" he said. "Remember what?" The two adults looked at each other, and then looked back at the clueless little boy.

"Suzaku, don't you remember what happen?" Toudou asked concernedly. The green-eyed boy frowned and a tongue protruded out in thought. Toudou and Chika anxiously waited for his answer. Every little movement he made sent them twitching, they were so high-strung.

Suzaku slowly, agonizingly, opened his mouth. The two held their breath. They watched his lips began to form the first syllable.

"Could I have more water?" They almost fell over at the answer, with limbs twitching and all. That wasn't the reply they were looking for! Toudou got up to fulfill his request.

After they had given Suzaku a new glass of water, they waited until the boy had taken a couple big gulps. Chika started again.

"So Suzaku-sama, do you remember what happened?" Suzaku took a long swallow and the two adults were tenser. He smacked his lips and wiped his mouth with a sleeve.

"Suzaku?" Toudou said. Suzaku took very small sip and looked at him over the cup rim.

"Nope," was bluntly said. The future general blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Nope."

"Nope what, Suzaku-sama?" This time it was Chika.

"I don't remember."

"Don't remember what?" Toudou questioned. Suzaku looked irritated at the repeating questions.

"You just asked me! I said, I don't remember what happened to R.R., do you?" Toudou and Chika were shocked into silence.

"Toudou-sensei? Chika-chan?" Suzaku worriedly, putting a hand to their foreheads. "Are you feeling okay?" The two responded by jumping a little.

"W-we're fine," Chika reassured the little boy. "Just a little surprised, that's all." Suzaku tipped his head to the side, his eyes curious.

"About what?"

"Nothing," Toudou said. "It's not that important." Suzaku caught a loophole in his sensei's sentence and delved into it, exploiting the opportunity.

"You said it wasn't _that_ important. That means it's still kind of important. What's the important part?" Toudou and Chika stayed silent, trying to figure out how to respond to the boy's questions. The fidgeted under Suzaku's waiting gaze.

"Eh…" Chika said, stalling for time, but the boy waved a dismissive gesture at her answer.

"Never mind, I don't need to know that." The two adults relaxed, thinking they were safe, but they assumed too early. "So, what happened to R.R.?" They were speechless, not knowing what to do. Suzaku was getting more worried with each moment that passed. Finally, Toudou spoke, carefully choosing his words.

"R.R. had to leave for a very, very long time. He won't be back for a while." Suzaku felt saddened at those words. He thought there was something off about them, but pushed the matter aside.

"So he's not coming back?" he asked dejectedly. The boy was relieved when his sensei shook his head. "So, he is?

"He'll come back." Toudou reassuring, lying between his teeth, feeling self-disgust at what he was about to say. "R.R. just has some business he needs to take care of. It's very important to him. It's probably going to take a long time for him to settle it and come back, but don't worry about that." Suzaku's face fell at the 'news', but then brightened up.

"That's okay, I guess. I'll just have to wait for him, even if it takes forever and ever and ever and I get really old! I'll still wait for him! I promise!" he said, sincere in every word he uttered. Toudou and Chika felt their hearts break at what Suzaku said.

"Are, are you sure about that, Suzaku-sama?" Chika asked. "That's a big promise." The boy nodded furiously.

"Yes! I'm sure!" Toudou bowed his head, his fists clenching under the table. He hoped Suzaku wouldn't end up hurting because of his rash promise in the end. If Suzaku did, he would never forgive R.R. for what he had done.

Long after Suzaku had been tucked in bed by Chika, now a foreign concept ever since R.R. had arrived at the Kururugi household, Toudou could be found deep in thought. He was standing on the outside wooden walkway in front of Suzaku's room. His arms were folded in front of, his entire visage the epitome of sternness. His eyes seemed to have gained a sharper edge than the previous day. The man looked upwards towards the sky as he pondered about what had transpired over the past year.

Before, Suzaku had been a lonely boy, having no children his age to play with. Ever since R.R. had arrived into Suzaku's life, the boy had been livelier and happier than he was before. It was like R.R. was a gift in disguise. The thought that he would be both a blessing and a curse never crossed Toudou's mind.

He had watched over the first few weeks the tentative friendship the two had started blossom into a strong one as the months passed by. The two grew more and more dependent on the other. Even if R.R. wasn't aware of it, Toudou was. It was as it the other man's existence was solely and entirely focused on Suzaku. Toudou wouldn't be very surprised if it was, judging from the behavior R.R. displayed around the boy.

Suzaku wasn't any different. Toudou knew R.R. was the boy's first and only true friend. Despite his and the others' tries to befriend him, the boy refused to see the adults anything more than what they were. They had all failed in their attempts, even if it wasn't from lack of trying.

To Suzaku, Toudou was _just_ his mentor, Chika was _just_ a respected elder, and Jiro was _just_ a bodyguard. The three had long ago given up convincing the boy otherwise when R.R. appeared into their lives. The man and boy seemed to have clicked together perfectly, even though there was an obvious age difference. Now that Toudou looked back on it, they had gotten together too fast, too quickly, too perfect for everything to turn out the way they wanted. It was too good to be true. He should've known something like this would've happened, but like what they said, hindsight was always twenty/twenty.

Toudou closed his eyes.

He, himself, had even encouraged the two to continue and strengthen their relationship, seeing how happy it made Suzaku. But now, he realized everything good always had a catch. This time it was R.R.'s abrupt departure. It would break or make Suzaku. He didn't know anything explicit about what happened, not having any forewarning before it happened. But whatever the reason behind it, Toudou had a feeling it was something bigger than he could even comprehend. Could the supernatural actually be true like that man, Mao, had said and showed?

Toudou didn't know what to think of it, but for now it was the calm after the storm, the harbinger of the future.

R.R. sat quietly in the seat he was in, gazing out the window. It was almost afternoon. This was their fifth day driving in a row. They had been travelling on wheels after their departure from Japan via airplane. They were currently passing through a small, inconspicuous suburb where there was a low risk of publicity. Also, since this was becoming a regular for the town residents, they didn't pay their arrival much notice.

The car he was in had C.C., Mao, and himself seated inside with a driver in the front. Surrounding them was a four Sutherland Knightmare guard. One had the front point, another had the back, and the last two flanked the center vehicle. Their pilots had shortly met up with and joined them in the forest.

But for now, the silence that surrounded them was so thick R.R. thought he would suffocate.

'_So,'_ he said to C.C. in an attempt to break the silent air. _'What was the 'little something' you wanted to tell me?'_ C.C. smirked at his question.

"You can't wait any longer, R.R.?" The man gave her a slight smirk.

'_I can wait. It's just the oppressive silence that's getting to me.'_ C.C. laughed, her amber eyes glinting.

"That is the sound of immortality," she said. "If you join V.V. and I, then that can be banished forever." She crossed her legs. "What do you think of it?" R.R. shook his head, a smile on his lips.

'_You're still trying to convince me? You know that won't work, no matter what you say.'_ The girl shrugged.

"It's still worth a try. You might agree one time, and I'm not going to miss it." R.R. gave her a look.

'_If you don't ask, I'll never answer. So, you won't miss it.'_ C.C. smiled mysteriously.

"How do you know?"

'_How do you not know?'_

"Touché." They elapsed into a quiet atmosphere, only the vehicle and machinery filling the air with their sound.

Hours later late in the afternoon, they still had not found a topic to start a conversation with. The moments trickled past like mud, very slowly. R.R. sighed and began thinking about random topics he normally wouldn't think about trying to distract his mind from what awaited him at the end of this road trip. He idly wondered about squares and if they were circles when the car began to slow down. C.C. turned to him.

"We've arrived R.R., let's go." The door was opened by the driver and she elegantly stepped out. Mao happily bounded behind her, eager to get out of the car after the long ride. R.R got out and threw an arm up, squinting at the sudden light. It wasn't as bright in the car with the dark-tinted windows. When his eyes adjusted, he inspected his surroundings.

He saw a wasteland, a barren desert. Everywhere as far as the eye could see was endless mounds of sand. There was a gentle wind that blew a few strays of golden grains into the air. They were in a northeast province of the Chinese Federation, he mused. Only that part of the country had vast deserts, perfect for a secret organization to operate away from government officials' eyes. There was a tap on his shoulder.

"Since you came so peacefully with us, I'll tell you right now!" R.R. smiled wryly.

'_I highly doubt anything you say is going to change anything, C.C.'_ The girl looked at him with arms akimbo.

"Try me," she challenged. "You won't know until you do." The man sighed and rolled his eyes, deciding to humor the girl. It was the least he could do for the choice she gave him.

'_Very well. What is it?'_ he asked. C.C. laughed.

"Can't you guess?"

'_No.'_

"Not even a little?"

'_No. What is it?'_

"Are you sure?'

'_Just tell me.'_ R.R. was getting irritated at the continuous questions. It showed on his face. C.C. saw this and stopped her teasing.

"I'll tell you then." She paused and looked to where the rest of the party was. The man sighed out a breath of air in impatience. She looked back at him. "You can still speak!" She said triumphantly. R.R. was shocked by the statement into silence.

'_W… what?' _he asked. _'What did you just say?' _ R.R. thought he heard wrong. He _had _to have heard C.C. wrong.

"You can speak, R.R. The scarring is gone, correct? I can see it has. Then your throat healed a long time ago. Even genetic manipulation isn't permanent for us immortals. It's just your mind that's robbing you of the ability. I believe it's called 'mind over matter'." R.R. was motionless, shock evident on his features. He tried to block the sentence out, but the words reverberated inside his mind.

"_You can speak, R.R."_

"_You can speak."_

"_Can speak."_

R.R. shook himself out of his thoughts and glared at C.C. It was a sensitive topic for him, to be unable to communicate properly with others.

"_Speak." _He said, his fury growing at her words._ 'Don't be ridiculous. If that were true, I would've figured that out ages ago!' _C.C. shook her head at his, ignoring his clear anger, clucking her tongue in a chiding manner.

"When you were trying to speak, did you truly believe you could? Or did you have a semblance of doubt?" R.R.'s rage dissipated and he was quiet. He knew which answer referred to him, the latter. C.C. smiled, satisfied at herself. "See? What did I tell you? Why don't you try right now?"

Then, a rumbling noise came from where the rest of the group was. Mao came running over to the two, instantly latching onto C.C. with a silly grin on his face. His headphones jumped with every movement he made.

"C.C.! Everything's clear! We can go in now!" he said excitedly. C.C. smiled gently at him.

"Thank you, Mao. I appreciate it." Mao grinned like a little kid.

"You're welcome," he said. "Anything for you." He bounded away. R.R. raised a questioning eyebrow. The man wasn't that different from what he would be in the future. Maybe he was a little less obsessed with C.C., but he didn't look that different. Six or so years would hardly affect the man.

'_Somebody has a little puppy follower.'_ He said, gazing at Mao's retreating back. _'Is he the one you've been waiting for?' _ C.C. shook her head sadly, also looking at Mao's figure.

"He won't be able to fulfill my wish. He's too much like a child, but I suppose that is my fault. He's beginning to loose control of his Geass. That's why he has headphones now." She sighed and beckoned R.R. to follow her. "Come. The gates are opening."

R.R. watched with interest as the seemingly flat desert ground finished rising to a high platform. Mounds of sand were falling off the edges. The Knightmare frames and car drove in, probably to a garage.

As soon as everyone and thing was safely underground, the hydraulics whirred as the platform sunk into the ground. The desert wind blew over the unsettled sand, disguising the entrance once more. R.R.'s pupils widened to adapt to the dim lighting. He heard C.C. shift next to him, moving forward to meet their greeter.

"V.V." she said, with a polite nod. "We have successfully retrieved R.R., as ordered." The childish appearance of the other immortal shifted to a look of approval.

"I can see that, C.C." he said. "Thank you." His gaze shifted to Mao and he made a small, but clear dismissive gesture. Mao pouted, but did what he was told reluctantly. His footsteps walked away into a dark hall. Now, the three immortals were alone. V.V. made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

"May I escort you into the city?" This statement was worded like a question, but its intent was obviously a command. R.R.'s lips twitched. V.V. hadn't changed much.

_'Of course,'_ he said sarcastically. _'There isn't a place where I would rather be in than this wonderful underground city. Such a delightful place, it is after all, where I spent most of my past decade and half.'_ V.V. chuckled as they walked into the underground facility.

"Oh, how I missed your dry wit R.R." he replied to the man. "Would you care to amuse me like you did in the past but this time not from behind bars?" R.R.'s mouth tightened.

_'I want to make this clear. I certainly did not miss _you_, V.V.'_ he shot back. V.V. sighed and fell silent, digesting the piece of information C.C. had just gave him. Then, he spoke.

"C.C. says you don't use your voice because you don't believe what she said. Is this true?"

_'Why should I tell you?'_ R.R. snapped. _'If it weren't for your scientists, I would still be able to speak properly!'_ V.V. shrugged.

"I was just being concerned. We immortals have to look out for each other after all." R.R. nearly scoffed at those words.

During this entre conversation, they had been walking through the area's streets. They had just entered a large building a moment ago. "Now," V.V. said turned around to face the other. They had arrived at their destination. There was a long pause.

_'Just get to the point!'_ V.V. inclined his head in acknowledge of R.R.'s statement.

"Very well. Then, what will it be R.R.? Which will you choose?" The experimental lab," he motioned to the door behind him, "or us?"

* * *

And that's Chapter 10! It felt really awkward writing this so I'm not sure how good this is. The good news is, this week I'm basically free in the afternoon. The bad news is, I've found my passion for reading fanfiction again and next week I have an activity that's going to take up all of my time, literally. My schedule for the whole next week is packed. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write. Then, after that, school starts. So, that's even more stuff to worry about. My summer's running out. /sobs/ Well, that's enough of me rambling...

If you haven't voted in the newer poll, please do! It concerns this story a lot! I'm not sure what I was think when I made the first one...

Thank you for reviewing: nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, LelouchForever, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, and chaos-winged-valkryie. You guy's review really brighten up my day! ^_~

Lots of love,

Shini


	11. Chapter 11

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 11

* * *

"Have you decided yet?" C.C. asked a silent R.R. "You've been thinking for the past hour now." They were still standing in front of the door. She and V.V. both already knew what his answer would be, but still waited out of courtesy. R.R. tipped his head to the side. He supposed he had made them wait long enough. At least they had the consideration to wait, even though he had decided what to say a long time ago.

'_I will never join you and C.C.'_ he said neutrally. _'Nothing more, nothing less.'_ V.V. nodded expectantly, sighing, not surprised. This was the reason why he had led them to the experimental building in the first place after all.

"The labs it is." Then, as if from an unknown signal, three men came up from behind R.R. and grabbed him. He felt his straightjacket become buckled up. He didn't protest or move to fight as his arms were strapped against his body and sleeves sealed. The men's actions were by no means gentle, purposefully jostling and tightening the lab-issued coat more than was needed. His head jerked back as the straps were tightened unmercifully around his lower face, securing his mouth unnecessarily.

'_I will escape from here again. Watch me.'_ He vowed to V.V. and C.C. _'Just like I did before. I will get a way from this cursed place!'_ V.V. raised an amused eyebrow.

"Oh?" he asked. "Then we'll just capture you again. It will be an endless game of cat and mouse. You run and we catch. Entertaining, don't you think?" R.R. felt the urge to spit on the ground in front of the other in a hateful and uncharacteristic manner and would have if it wasn't for the restriction around his lower face, just for the satisfaction of expressing his extreme disgust for V.V. and the start of his rebellious behavior.

'_Yes,' _ he hissed. _'It'll be as entertaining as your face when you realize your plan to take over the world is impossible and fails.'_ V.V.'s expression grew colder and less polite when R.R. uttered those words. His hand moved and R.R. found himself bending over in pain. One of the men handling him had punched him at V.V.'s signaled command. He looked up at the shorter immortal, catching his breath.

"Do not underestimate Charles." V.V. said tonelessly. "I have faith in him." R.R. found an opening to say a few words, out of spite.

'_Oh really, V.V.? If you say that, then why do you doubt him now? I know you do.'_ V.V. looked shocked at this accusation. He probably hadn't realized it consciously yet. R.R. mentally winced, knowing he shouldn't have said that. He had probably sped up Marianne vi Britannia's death, but it wouldn't effect the original timeline that much. Her death was bound to happen soon anyway, he calmed himself. He felt a guilty pang, but ignored it and pushed it to a dark corner of his mind. He focused back on V.V. The other was staring at him in hatred.

"I do not doubt Charles." V.V. said. He gave a pointed look to the men waiting for orders. "Take him to get labeled and then in a holding cell." The men saluted.

"Yes, Master V.V." R.R. didn't struggle as he was roughly escorted away through the door to the prison cells. He sent a last message to V.V. and C.C. before the door closed, however.

'_One day,'_ he said. _'One day I will escape from here, and see that you and this organization are destroyed, utterly and completely!'_ The last thing the other two immortals saw of him was a pair of vivid violet. Then, they were gone. The door shut with a loud sound, seeming to echo around. V.V. smirked.

"I'll be waiting for you then, R.R." He started to walk away from the building. "C.C." The girl dutifully followed the other back to the city's headquarters, which was conveniently located at the other section of the underground city, away from the labs.

R.R. had a stony face the entire time he was escorted to a holding cell. His new dog tag shone brightly against his dark clad chest in the dim lighting. He hadn't had any time wasted in obtaining it from on of the guards. They had even had a pre-made one to label him with, so confident they would recapture him. Well, R.R. wanted to bitterly chuckle, they had been right in that matter. He was brought out of his musings when there was a loud click and metal sliding. He sighed, rolling his eyes. They had even saved his old cell, just for him. He was unkindly pushed in and he stumbled to the ground.

"This will be the home of the rest of your existence." One of the men said from behind the other side of metal bars. R.R. resisted the urge to childishly stomp on the other's foot. That's what the prison guard from fourteen years ago said when he was first captured. He played with the thought of the organization having no progress after all this time. He sighed. If only that were true… Then, the guard had left, leaving him with the others imprisoned in the place.

Slowly, whispers had started, all wondering who he was, who he could be, why he had a straightjacket, how dangerous he could be, how come he was so old yet still a 'new' lab rat, and other such things. There were a lot of names being thrown around, as to who would actually confront him. R.R. just simply ignored all the hush-hush talk with practiced ease. He was used to it, expecting something like this happen. He was different, as always.

During his previous stay, he had grown popular after the discovery of his immortality among the other prisoners, for that's what they were prisoners of science. Previous to the discovery, all the scientists, researchers, C.C., V.V., and the other prisoners had all wondered what his Geass was and thought it was defective, mutated, or dormant for some reason. However, it was something unique only to R.R., something different, something worth studying. If it weren't for the unmasking of his 'scars', which really was his Geass mark in disguise, the pretense of his nonexistent Geass would've continued.

Although, he was famous after they all knew he was an immortal, he was also infamous for his failed attempt at escape from the Geass Directorate. His other marking attribute was his white and violet eyes.

There had been many speculations and rumors concerning his appearance. His eyes were just like the emperor's. Some had said he was a great-great grandfather of the current emperor, Charles vi Britannia. Others had disagreed and thought he was a previously unknown long lost brother of the man. R.R. didn't agree nor disagree those rumors, knowing they would only confuse his actual identity, but he did gag when somebody mentioning he was the emperor's secret, hidden lover. He then stepped out from his self-inflicted shell made it _quite_ clear he didn't appreciate the thought to the poor gossiper.

There had been also questionings of his sanity, but R.R. had brushed away those thoughts, leaping to find another matter to think about.

When he had escaped a year ago, he had foolishly shed his old name, N.N., and renamed himself R.R. Even if it was vague it was still a hint as to who he was in the past. He didn't need V.V. link the pieces together and have more leverage against him.

R.R.'s eyes glanced to the side and he tensed when he saw the person in the adjoining cell to his shift towards him. The cells were just bars on the sides and outside, so the prisoners could converse with each other. The child stopped at his movement, but then continued to move forward. There was a lull in the other's conversations, all listening in.

"Um…" the child was hesitant. "Who are you? I'm Rolo Haliburton." He asked in a soft voice. R.R. was silent, and the boy thought he didn't hear him so he repeated his question, leaning forward. R.R. sucked in a breath and backed a bit when he saw the boy's face. It was younger than what he was used, but it was still unmistakable. The light brown hair and light lavender eyes cried at him, tugging at his heart.

'_Rolo…'_ he thought. The boy visibly jerked back, his eyes widening. His hand went to his waist in an instinctive gesture, which R.R. caught the meaning of. He meant to draw a firearm he didn't currently have at the moment.

"What was that?" R.R. shifted to face the shocked boy. "How did you do that? Your lips didn't move!" A woman concernedly called out from one of the other cells.

"What are you talking about, Rolo? What just happened? Did he do something?" Rolo shook his head, uncertainty in his eyes.

"He just said my name without talking!" Another female voice butted into the conversation, but this time harsh.

"What are you talking about you brat? He didn't say anything! Are you getting soft with your special treatment?" It jeered.

"You shut up! Can't you see Rolo is suffering the most out of us all? He's just a child, yet he's sent out to kill people!" The woman shouted at the voice. "He's so young, but he has so much blood on his hands already!" There was a barking laugh.

"Well, the sooner the better I say! That way you'll actually survive in a place like this!"

"You know you don't really mean that, Azure! A child's innocence is something you only lose once!"

Then, the guards yelled from the entrance for them to stay quiet. The first woman had yelled back, but noticeably quieted. R.R. transferred his gaze from where it had strayed to the boy the short argument had been on.

Rolo was a quivering ball on the ground. He was curled up, hands covering his ears to block out the yelling. He was shivering. R.R. felt his heart twitch at the little boy. He wanted to comfort Rolo, to atone and amend for the heartless treatment and words that would be thrown at the boy in the future. But, there was slight problem: he wasn't supposed to know the boy.

So, against what he wished he could do, he kept his distance.

R.R. woke quietly to whispers and the sound of gentle crying. It had been five months, three weeks, and fourteen days since he was captured. He sat up and looked at the stone floor with disinterest, having seen the same ground countless times before. Despite the mundane and regular appearance of the ground he was staring at, he knew something had happened, something big. He listened in to what was being said.

"The poor women, she never stood a chance."

"She was such a kind, caring soul. Why did it have to be her of all people?"

"What do you think is going to happen to the little boy now?"

"I don't know. They were close, Rolo and Arien. Now with her gone, who's going to take care of him and make sure he's safe?"

Hearing the conversations whirl around him, R.R. didn't know what to do. Should he follow his mind, or his heart? His mind was screaming at him to just ignore whatever was happening and go back to sleep. It was not his concern, and he should not act familiar to any of the other prisoners. Doing so would be unwise.

His relationship with Rolo was tentative at best. They've talked and shared stories, even if it was mostly R.R. telling and Rolo listening. But, R.R. wasn't sure how Rolo considered the bond between the two. Did he see R.R. as a friend, a brother? The man didn't know and didn't really want to risk whatever it was because of a moment of weakness.

However, his heart was urging him to comfort Rolo, to offer a shoulder for the boy to cry on. R.R. knew that burdens were easier to hold if they were shared from personal past experiences. He glanced back at the boy and made a decision. He looked up and slowly moved towards the boy.

His hand gently touched Rolo's should in a gesture of sympathy and the boy threw himself towards the man. R.R. was silent as he held a tearfully sobbing Rolo in his arms between the metal cell bars. He was still listening to what was being said around them, but kept his eyes on the small child. Though, he didn't really seeing anything, focusing on his hearing instead.

When R.R. had deemed he heard enough, he focused on Rolo. The boy's small form was shaking and shivering in sadness. He was swept with a sense of déjà vu, remembering how he held another boy in a very similar fashion, but for completely different reasons.

The man sighed and thought about what he had just found out from the other prisoners. The woman who had defended the boy on the first day had just been reported as a failure. In other words, she was dead.

R.R. could faintly understand the boy's pain, having felt it before in the past when someone very dear to him was almost undoubtedly gone. He had found out later that she was alive and silently rejoiced, despite the fact that they were enemies. That was the difference. The woman, he learned was named Arien Blanc, wouldn't be coming back. She had always been weak physically in the beginning and her heart was so strong that the other prisoners had hoped she would survive just a bit longer. Alas, it was not meant to be.

The man couldn't help but lips the corners of his lips at the irony. Arien Blanc meant pure white. She, a woman he barely knew, had unexpectedly earned his eternal respect. Her death even touched him. The women had been a fallen angel, in a sense, a fallen angel that fought valiantly against all odds with the intention to win. All she had were a pair of crippled wings, but still she stood strong defiantly until the bitter end.

Now that she was gone, she was finally free from her restraints. She didn't have to suffer at the cruel hands of the Geass Directorate. A pure-hearted being such as her didn't belong here. Arien was still light-hearted and kind, despite the treatment she received on a constant basis. She kept everyone's spirits higher than usual with her witty comments and quick comebacks to the guards yelling and complaining.

Now that she was gone, everyone grieved her death. Even Azure, being the cynical woman she was, mourned her.

R.R. waited patiently until Rolo's cries and hiccups began to subside gradually. Then, when they were gone, Rolo whispered something. R.R. leaned forward to hear it.

"Why did she have to die?" he asked.

'_Death,'_ R.R. began, stroking Rolo's light hair. _'Death is a part of life. In order for somebody to be born, there also must be somebody who dies. Sometimes you don't get to choose when you die. Other times, you do. Arien just one of those who are unfortunate and don't have a choice. Do you understand?' _Rolo was silent.

"I think I get it." He looked up at the man. "Do you think she's in a better place now?" the boy asked sadly. R.R. gave him a small smile at the question.

'_Yes,'_ he answered. _'I believe she is, and laughing at the way we are now, sobbing like fools.'_ His mental responses didn't seem to bother the boy. Neither did the fact that only he could hear R.R. disturb Rolo.

"Do you," The boy paused. "Do you know anything that might help make her way to the afterlife easier?" R.R. forced his face not to twitch at the reference the 'afterlife'. Telling the boy that there was no 'afterlife' like some people believed there to be was _not_ a good idea at the moment. He thought of what to say for Arien's departed soul.

'_Arien Blanc, may you rest in peace.'_ He breathed. R.R. nearly winced at his words. They weren't very original, but he didn't know what else to say. He was relieved when he saw Rolo nod in agreement to the statement.

"I like that." He said. "Do you only say that to people like Arien, or can you say that to anybody?" R.R. blinked and chose his answer carefully.

'_You can say it to anybody who's departed. It's just a matter of if they deserve those words that you need to worry about.'_ Rolo nodded in understanding. They elapsed into a moment of silence.

"Thank you, R.R." The man smiled, closing his eyes.

'_There's no need to thank me. I'm just doing what's right.'_

A few months after R.R.'s disappearance, back in Japan, Suzaku was in his room pondering on what his father had just told him. In a week, two Britannian royals were coming to stay at the Kururugi Shrine. One of them was about his age. He wondered, in a slim possibility, if they knew R.R. He missed the man terribly, but still determinedly waited everyday. He sat in front of his room's exterior door every late afternoon, staring into the woods from where he had first met R.R. He sighed sadly as the man's voice was brought to the forefront of his mind.

'_Patience, my dear little Suzie-chan. If you don't wait, how will you achieve anything in the end? How does a crane receive its meal everyday? By waiting time and again. By being patient, you can do almost anything and get anything you desire.'_

"Anything you desire?" Suzaku absentmindedly asked the air in front of him. "That sounds nice." He said with a wistful quality.

The boy looked down at the object in his hand. It was supposed to be his Christmas present to R.R., but the man had left before he could give it to him… It was a necklace, not unlike the dog tag Suzaku was wearing. The only difference between them was what was inscribed on the metal. While R.R.'s dog tag had been a label, Suzaku's had the kanji for forever etched on the necklace, the boy's hand clenched around it.

When he saw R.R. again, whenever that may be, he would be sure to give this to him. But for now, he would hold on to it, waiting. That was okay… right? He blinked furiously to hold back the tears. He wasn't crying. There was just something inside his eyes. It was fine, that he was all alone now. Nothing was wrong, he said in his mind. Everything was well. Everything was completely and utterly… fine…

Suzaku barely held back a sob.

Inside the house, Toudou closed the cracked open door, unable to watch the boy any longer.

* * *

And here's Chapter 11! This was a sad one to write. There wasn't a lot of dialogue, but more thinking and R.R.'s past. I hope you guys don't mind. And I've included Rolo in this too! I couldn't help it. I was closest to crying when he risked his life to save Lelouch and died, not when Lelouch was pierced with his sword by Suzaku. My friend said I'm heartless because of that... but oh well.

Thanks to everybody who voted! I'll keep writing in this story. Though, do you guys think I should change the summary since it deals only with the first part?

Was this format okay? A part of this and a part of that? What do you guys think should happen next chapter? Lelouch and Nunnally arriving at the Kururugi Shrine for half of it and the rest back at the Geass Directorate with R.R. and Rolo? Does the order of the two matter?

And if anybody's noticed a review floating around this story, signed by a 'Shinigami's Brush' (me), that was my sister. Not me. When I first saw it, I was freaking out and thought somebody had hacked into my account. But, I couldn't figure out their motive, since it was a nice review... (suspicious, much?) In the end, I learned that I apparently I forgot to logout...

Thank you for reviewing: nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, LelouchForever, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, and chaos-winged-valkryie. I love your reviews! They make me really happy! ^_^

Lots of love,

Shini


	12. Chapter 12

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 12

* * *

'_War is terrible thing. It is great and beautiful, but terrible all the same. Some wish for it to happen, while others strive to avoid it. Some say it's necessary and cannot be avoided, while others say it can, and that total peace is a reachable goal. We just need to try. _

'_But, do they really know what the total the peace they speak of is? Total peace, is complete and true peace. It is eternal. There would be no war, no conflict, and no unhappiness. But, the consequence of such a desire is far too great. In order to have such a peace, there must also be nothing. Nothing that was, nothing that is, and nothing that will be. _

'_In human nature down to the basic and primitive level, there is the instinct to fight. There is a raw desire to battle and want to shed blood. They want power. They want to dominate above all others. Then, when humans grew intelligent, they managed to surpass the influence. It was like that instinct was never there in the beginning, but all that was a mask, a mere façade. Humans will never completely conquer their will to fight. It was always there under the surface hiding, lurking and, waiting for the exact right moment to surprise and consume the mind whole._

'_Not everyone understands that. They don't realize it before it's too late. By the time they find out, it's already progressed so far that it becomes incontrollable. It becomes a disease, a plague._

'_There once was a land, split into a number of different countries. Over centures, there had been a mass conflict, for one of the countries was slowly but steadily conquering the others like a greedy insatiable hunger. All the emperor of the country wanted was complete power and control over the whole land. _

'_Then, a small number from one of the conquered countries rebelled and started to take back their stolen land. They bonded together to form a group. Through many battles and fights, they eventually began to become recognized by people in high places. Their numbers grew and they thrived and allied themselves with other countries, growing more powerful all the while. _

'_After all their hard work, the rebels were rewarded with the death of the emperor and a more sympathetic person was appointed in his place. The new ruler agreed with the rebels' point of view and declared a world reform. A peace treaty was created, signed, and announced world-wide. _

'_According to what the treaty dictated, all technology used for warfare would be modified to suit the convenient needs of the people, not war. And if they couldn't be changed, they were destroyed and annihilated completely. The country that suggested this destroyed their machines of war immediately after this announcement in a gesture of goodwill. Convinced, the other countries quickly followed suit. _

'_Political talks concerning world peace were arranged with carefulness and caution in an effect to create the perfect utopia. None of the countries wanted to initiate another war. So many lives had been lost and blood spilled in the previous one. Should another one erupt, the world would undoubtedly become torn apart and wither, the strain too great for it to handle._

'_It was a hopeful assumption nobody wished for another war, but also a foolish one. With all militaristic technology gone and armies dismissed, the action of protecting a country was an impossible endeavor. The people were defenseless and stood no chance against any attacks. But of course, everyone thought they were safe despite this. They were wrong. _

"_If a small rebel group without the right resources had attacked before or during the war, they would've been regarded as a nuisance and immediately crushed. After the war, however, every country was vulnerable, trusting the other to keep their word. As long as the others kept to the treaty, they would too. _

'_This trust would eventually become their downfall.'_

'_The leaders of the countries realized this too late when an organization began attacking, mercilessly slaughtering innocents around the world. They wanted war and were unstoppable by this time. Eventually, another war erupted. It would the last and final one. _

R.R. sighed as he finished his monologue. Rolo had begged him to tell him a story again or at least something to fill the empty silence with. He was like a fountain of knowledge to the boy, who had fallen asleep to the talk around the beginning. Why of all topics he chose that one this time, he didn't know. The words had rose unbidden to his lips and spilled out before he realized it, and once he began, he didn't stop until the end. He looked at the small body he was embracing between the bars.

Rolo's face was free from the tense lines it usually had. He was relaxed and actually looked the age he was. A child his age shouldn't have had to worry about the things he did, ever. But, under the circumstances they were both under, it was an impossible wish. R.R. affectionately brushed Rolo's bangs to the side. The boy was growing on him, really he was. How a cold-blooded killer could look this innocent was beyond him. Then, Rolo stirred.

"And then what happened? Who saves the land from the…" He yawned and backtracked. "From the bad guys?" R.R. sadly smiled and shook his head, even if Rolo couldn't see the action. In the past, he had told fairy tales and fantasy stories of far away lands, all with the 'and-they-lived-happily-ever-after' ending. So, it was reasonable for the boy to think that this one was similar.

'_This time, there is no prince who saves the princess Rolo, but a cold, heartless individual who cares nothing for himself.'_

"So it's a sad story?" R.R. contemplated on the question.

'_A sad story, eh?'_ he murmured quietly. _'I guess you could call it that. The ending is certainly not happy, especially with the "hero" it has.'_ Rolo shifted and looked at R.R.

"It _is_ a sad ending." He insisted. "The opposite of happy is sad. So, if it's not a happy ending, it's a sad ending. And the hero can't be like you say he his. If he really was, then he would've have been the hero in the first place." He childishly said wisely.

'_The world is not just made up of the colors black and white, Rolo. There are also different shades of grey.'_ R.R. whispered.

"What?" R.R. eyes widened a fraction in surprise. He hadn't meant for the boy to hear that.

'_It's nothing.' _He said, but it was unnecessary. Rolo had already fallen back to sleep again. R.R. smiled and closed his eyes, preparing to follow the boy into dreamland.

A solitary candle flickered, its lightly wavering. Suzaku's grip on the sketchbook trembled. He had just found R.R.'s drawings and couldn't believe what he was seeing, but there it was in front of his eyes, mocking him. At almost every page was a sketch of him doing something like reading, thinking, learning, studying, eating, sleeping, anything. R.R. had captured a few moments of when Suzaku could've sworn he was alone. Apparently he was wrong. R.R. had been there, and the man had drawn them all.

Almost every time he flipped to a new page, there was a doppelganger of him reflecting back. Occasionally, there were self-portraits R.R. drew of himself, but they were few in number. Then, a piece of paper slipped out from the back. Suzaku picked it up and gasped in surprise, tears rising unwillingly. It was the picture of R.R. he had drawn. He remembered that night clearly.

When he had finished the drawing, he had been frustrated at himself since he couldn't draw the man the way he wanted. Instead of the wonderful picture he envisioned that would impress R.R., there was a childish, warped one staring back at him.

In his anger and frustration, he had torn it in half, wadded it up, and tossed in the garbage, never giving it a second glance. It seemed R.R. had and salvaged the pieces from the waste basket.

Suzaku traced the taped put so carefully to patch the two halves back together. He fingered the wrinkles on the paper and smoothed them down. He had never known R.R. saved it. He flipped to the back of the sketchbook incase he had missed something. He did. A photograph greeted him and he gently brushed the figures in it.

It was of a time when R.R. had pulled a giant, sweet, and sugary prank on Toudou. Suzaku couldn't help but smile when he sadly remembered what had happened.

In the photograph, there were all four of them in the kitchen, Suzaku, R.R., Chika, and Toudou. The camera had perfectly caught future general's surprised expression when a magnificent, white frosted cake had fallen on top of his head when he had stepped in the kitchen. There was a strawberry hovering between his eyes, kept stuck there by frosting.

R.R.'s face was alight with laughter and mischievousness was written all over his face as he just ran through the doorway, looking back at the man. He had played the decoy and distraction while the cake was prepared and set up. Then, he was the bait.

Chika was smug and posing for the camera shot, a wide grin on her face. Her fingers were in a 'V' gesture for the victory. It was obvious it was her who took the picture, probably with the timed mechanism so she would be included.

And then there was Suzaku himself. He was standing on the side with the switch that would drop the cake in his hand, giggling with childish glee at his sensei's reaction.

The present Suzaku set the photo gently down and looked on the last page of the sketchbook, where there was a hand-drawn picture. The picture was of both him and R.R. taking a nap under the shade of a tree. Suzaku smiled when he noticed a mistake. R.R.'s hair had been up that day in a low ponytail. He recalled the image in his mind vividly.

Suzaku flipped the page and saw there was writing on the back. He was silent as he read the words. Then, he set the book down and blew his candle out, leaving only the moon to illuminate the room. He silently slipped under the covers. As he closed his eyes, the words lingered in his mind, comforting yet puzzling him at the same time.

_I'll ride on a boat, a ship of dreams, _

_To catch the moon and stars for you._

_They'll be the brightest ever seen,_

_Their brilliance you never knew. _

_When I'm gone, don't you cry,_

_I'll be back to you someday. _

_When the sky's white tears fall, why?_

_Only when the lonely skies are grey. _

Suzaku stood in front of the shrine entrance nervously with his father. Today, the Britannians were coming and he was told to be on his best behavior. He checked his clothes for any stains or irregularities for the millionth time and heard his father sigh exasperatedly.

"Suzaku, there is nothing on your clothes. Now will you stop fidgeting and be still?" Suzaku dropped his hands and looked to the ground embarrassed.

"Sorry father, I'm just nervous." The Prime Minister huffed out a puff of air.

"There's nothing to be worried about! I'm sure you'll get along just fine with these two. There's even a boy about your age you can play with." Suzaku shuffled his feet.

"I know, I know, you told me that already." He said dully. Genbu nodded.

"Good. Now, here they come." The boy looked up with surprise and sure enough as his father said, there were three figures climbing up the steps. One was an adult, holding what seemed to be a portable chair. The second, a boy, was smaller and was carrying the third, a girl, on his back. Genbu stepped forward.

"Welcome to the Kururugi Shrine. I am Genbu Kururugi, Prime Minister of Japan and this is my son, Suzaku Kururugi." He greeted. The adult bowed in response. He set the wheelchair down and the girl was placed in the seat.

"Thank you Kururugi-dono. It is an honor to be welcomed into your home. I am Anlie Renoli, the escort and guard. This is Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and Nunnally vi Britannia, eleventh princess of the Holy Britannian Empire." Suzaku's eyes drifted over the other two children. The girl was in the wheelchair and closed her eyes. He was puzzled. Couldn't she walk? And how did she see with her eyes like that? The boy on the other hand, looked at him with a haughty expression and chin held high. Suzaku felt a spark of resentment at that.

He, Lelouch, had hair that was dark as coal, a complete contrast to what Suzaku was used to. And, the Britannians were paler than he was. They were more like how R.R.'s skin tone was. As Suzaku looked the boy over, he felt a pang of familiarity, but brushed it away. He had never met Lelouch before this, so why did it seem like it? Then, they locked gazes and a spark flew between them.

Lelouch had eyes like R.R., Suzaku thought. They were about the same shade and shape. There was only a slight difference between the two pairs, the feeling behind it.

With R.R.'s old eyes, Suzaku got the feeling the man was happy, content, with a hint of sadness. There was an inner strength. But, in Lelouch's young eyes, there was nothing but anger, protectiveness, regret, and a certain resignation. Suzaku grew angry all of a sudden. Who did this prince think he was? If he had R.R.'s eyes, then he wasn't going to use them wrong! He sprang forward, fist outstretched.

Lelouch gasped when the other boy, Suzaku, broke their staring and gave him a quick punch. He was on the ground with a stinging pain on his chin before he knew what was happening. A second blow to his face woke him from his daze and alerted to him that he was being attacked. He reached out and smacked the other boy on the cheek. It didn't even faze Suzaku.

"What do you suppose you call that? That wasn't even a punch! You hit like a girl!" he said. Lelouch growled at the insult.

"Why you! I'll show you!" There was a small flame of fire igniting in the dark-haired boy's eyes. Suzaku felt a feeling of elation when he saw it.

Anlie, the escort, gasped and moved forward to stop the boys fighting on the ground.

"We have to stop them, Kururugi-dono!" He was prevented from fulfilling his actions when Genbu raised a hand.

"We have to let them fight, Anlie-san. This is the only way." The escort tried to protest.

"But…" he was silenced with a sharp look.

"Wait."

Lelouch fought the other boy with all the strength he could muster, punching and kicking. Unfortunately, as a Britannian prince, he wasn't required to exercise his physical prowess. He didn't bother training his body, preferring to sharpen his mind and wit with books. As a result, he was getting thoroughly beaten to the ground by Suzaku.

"Why are you doing this?" Lelouch desperately asked when he realized he couldn't overcome the other boy. "What did I do to you?" He was surprised when the barrage of punches stopped. His shirt collar was grabbed and he was pulled up until he was only a few inches away from Suzaku's face.

"If you're going to look like a weakling," the Japanese boy moved even closer. "Then I'll beat you up!" Lelouch's cheeks flushed and he looked angrily at Suzaku.

"I am not weak!" Suzaku's eyebrows furrowed at the statement.

"Then what is that look in your eyes? They're dead." Lelouch's flinched at those words. "Only the weak have eyes like that." He dropped to the ground when Suzaku released his hold on the shirt. Lelouch glared up at the green-eyed boy.

"I'm not dead!"

"Your eyes say you are."

"I'm not!" The corners of Suzaku's lips lifted at the protest. This reminded him of the time R.R. was in his position and he was in Lelouch's. He could see R.R. in his mind's eyes as he repeated what the man had said to him.

"Then prove it. Show me what you can do." And with that, he walked back to the house, missing Lelouch's shocked expression.

Lelouch stared at the retreating boy's back, full of mixed emotions. Suzaku, he decided, was very confusing. He had the childish reaction to resort to fighting when agitated, but his words were not merely ones of a child. They sounded more like an adult's. Then, whose words were they originally? They sounded like an interesting person to meet. He was brought out of his thoughts at his sister's voice.

"Onii-sama, are you alright?" she concernedly asked. He sighed.

"I'm fine." he said.

"Are you sure? It sounded like that other boy beat you up really bad." Lelouch probed his face and shifted his body for any damage. There were a couple light bruises, but nothing serious.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not that bad." And he was surprised he was telling the truth. He was sure Suzaku had punched harder than that. Maybe he had held back? He got up from the ground and looked towards the Prime Minister and escort patiently waiting for him to finish his inspection.

"Are you ready?" the man asked, and Lelouch nodded. They headed towards the house.

* * *

And here's Chapter 12! The first encounter of Lelouch and Suzaku and little peek into R.R.'s past. Wow. I'm all the way to twelve... it seems surreal whenever I think about it. I seem to not have a lot of dialogue in my recent chapters. Would you guys like more, or is this okay for the moment? There will probably be more opportunities for that stuff in future chapters though... since this transition is almost done. And don't forget, don't hesitate to drop a note if you have comments, suggestions, and all that good stuff!

Thank you for reviewing: nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, LelouchForever, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, chaos-winged-valkryie, LovelyLittleAngel, xTratelx, Smeepalicious, and Cheza the Flower Maiden. I love you guys lots!

Review?

Lots of love,

Shini


	13. Chapter 13

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 13

* * *

Nunnally was afraid of many things. She was afraid of spiders, loud noises, strangers, surprises, and many other reasonable things a young girl would be frightened with. She was also afraid of her father.

She was afraid when she woke up to a permanent dark environment, and told she would probably never see again. She was afraid when she found out she couldn't walk and had to depend on a wheelchair. She was afraid when her brother told her that their father was sending them to Japan as political hostages. She was afraid during their trip to the island. She was afraid when they had climbed up the steps to the Kururugi Shrine. But, there was one fear that overruled and was the cause of them all.

She was afraid of being alone.

Nunnally couldn't bear the thought of being separated from her brother, Lelouch. She loved him with all her heart. Lelouch was her brother, and more. He was her caretaker, protector, counselor, teacher, and everything she needed him to be. She never wanted to be without him. And the thing that made her able happy and smile everyday despite all her fears, was that he was willing to do all those things for her. He wasn't forced, bribed, or led into the duty. He did it out of his own love and affection for her. He was the everlasting light in her darkness.

So, when Suzaku Kururugi had beat up Lelouch, she was very afraid indeed.

"Onii-sama, are you alright?" she asked, her voice full of worry. She wasn't very reassured with his reply of, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It sounded like that other boy beat you up really bad."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's not that bad." Lelouch had said, sounding truthful. Nunnally was sure her brother wouldn't lie to her, but she had to make sure. It was better to be safe than sorry, right?

As the four made their way to the Kururugi house, Nunnally began to talk to the man she presumed was the Prime Minister from her wheelchair. She turned her head in the direction she thought he was in.

"Excuse me, Kururugi-dono." She timidly said, not knowing what to expect.

"Yes?" The man asked his tone neutral. Nunnally was relieved. She hadn't estimated his placement wrong. She was getting better at that, but she still got it wrong at times. She took a breath and continued on.

"Do-do you have medical attention at your house?" There was a small noise she thought was a slight chuckle from the man

"Of course, Nunnally-san. I'll get them to look at your brother when we get to the house." Nunnally nodded.

"Please, no 'san'. Call me Nunnally. I'm more used to that." The group slowed to a stop.

"Very well then." There was a shuffling of feet and Anlie spoke up.

"Prince Lelouch, Princess Nunnally, we're here." The girl stretched a hand out in search of her brother.

"Onii-sama, could you tell me what 'here' is like?" she asked when Lelouch held her hand. Lelouch smiled a smile he reserved just for her.

"Alright," he said. "We're at a Japanese styled house. We're on a white stone path. The grass is really green here, and there are lots of plants. There are also trees around the building and a forest is just beyond the area. The house is black, red, and brown. There's a wooden platform that's slightly elevated off the ground. There are two roofs. One is over the walkway. The other is on top of the house and pointed at the top like a triangle. They're both covered with black, ridged tiles and edged with red supports. There are sliding doors bordered with wood as walls. The sky is a light blue with white puffy clouds. The sunshine is bright, but not too bright either." He wistfully said. "It's a nice sight, Nunnally. I wish you could see it" The girl smiled and took her hand back.

"That's okay, as long as you are with me. Thank you, Onii-sama." Lelouch looked at her and his smiled slightly widened.

"It's no problem." Nunnally sighed contentedly.

"Now, the only thing to do is get you all better!" Lelouch blinked and scoffed.

"Nunnally, there's no need for that. I told you already, I'm fine." The girl's hand trembled from where it was and she clenched into a small fist.

"Then," she said in a worried voice. "Will you please just let them see you, just in case?" Lelouch frowned.

"Nunnally, why…" However, his protest died at his lips when he saw her expression. He felt his will crumble and cave in. "Very well," he gave in, resignedly. "I'll let them check me over, if only for you." The Prime Minster smiled at them from behind and took a glance back. He motioned someone forward introducing her to the Britannians.

"This is our doctor here at the shrine. If you would follow her, then she'll get you checked over and settled in." A pretty, young brunette bowed to the two, her hands folded neatly in front of her.

"I am Chika Sasaki, Lelouch-sama, Nunnally-sama. Please follow me." She moved forward to take Anlie's place behind the girl's wheelchair and nodded to Lelouch. "Excuse us." They entered into the house via the sliding door.

The escort watched them go and touched the brim of his hat in respect and started to turn around, lowering his face.

"Well, I guess this is where I leave then. I've done what I was supposed to. And again, Kururugi-dono, I thank you for accepting Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally into your home." Genbu shook his head and held out a hand. The escort accepted it and they shared a firm handshake.

"No, I must thank you for bringing them here. I had begun to worry that my son was getting lonely without anybody else to play with. Now, he may have two friends." Anlie smiled, turning around to descend the steps.

"Then, you're welcome. Good day."

"Farewell. May your journey be safe and without trouble." Anlie quickly walked down the steps back to the vehicle he came in.

"Those two kids were awfully lonely too," he murmured. "I just hope this doesn't end too bad. But," he let out wry expression. "I'm just an escort. Who's going to listen to somebody like me? Ah well…" he trailed off, whistling as he left.

"It's a lonely road,

"an awfully lonely road.

"I've got nowhere to go,

"but here…"

Lelouch looked suspiciously at the woman he was following. She seemed like the reasonable type of person, not one that spilled everything they heard or saw. She, Chika, seemed more considerate than that, having pushed Nunnally's wheelchair without any prompting. Still, there was something nagging in his mind. The Prime Minister had said she was the doctor here, but she didn't seem to fit the part.

"Sasaki-san, was it?" The woman briefly glanced to the side at him before focusing forwards again.

"Yes, Prince Lelouch?" The boy grimaced at the title. "Or would you prefer something else?" Lelouch paused. She was fairly observant too.

"Anything besides Prince, and same for Nunnally please. We don't like being referred by our titles, even if mostly everyone insists on it." Chika nodded understandingly.

"Then, what was it that you wanted… Lelouch-sama?" She raised an eyebrow in a query to see if the name was acceptable. It was.

"Ah, yes." Lelouch got back on track. "I was wondering… are you really a doctor? You don't seem like it." He cast a doubtful gaze at her clothes. They seemed to be the working kind, more rough and sturdy than a doctor's attire normally would be. Chika shrugged.

"I'm certified to be one." The answer didn't deter Lelouch, and he pressed on further.

"But…" He trailed off, waiting for a response. Chika sighed. The boy was persistent.

"But, the objective why I was hired was to be a maid. That is may first and foremost job. But, when necessary, I can be the doctor also. That doesn't take away from my credibility, now does it?" she asked in a teasing tone. Lelouch looked away, frowning.

"No," he admitted. The maid smiled at her small victory.

"I'm glad you see it my way." She said.

Lelouch was silent as they walked through the long hall. They came to a halt in front of a sliding door. She opened the door and wheeled Nunnally inside. "This will be where you two will be staying. I hope it suits your needs and tastes."

Lelouch cast a gaze over the room. It was furnished fairly simply. The walls were a soft cream color. The ground was covered with wood and tatami mats. A few plants were in the corners, adding a touch of color to the place. A table was set up against a wall with a glass lantern sitting on top. Two futon beds were in the far corner, with the blankets, pillow, and everything already set up.

It was entirely Japanese in style. Not a hint of Britannian was visible in the room.

Somehow, that notion made him feel uneasy, and yet happy at the same time. He was in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by unfamiliar people, vulnerable. He recognized basically nothing here. But, that vulnerability also made sure that there wasn't any of his father's influence in these people. They were part of their own country. If his father's, the emperor's, beliefs were supreme in Britannia, then the Prime Minister's beliefs must be supreme here in Japan.

Lelouch just hoped Genbu Kururugi had a better opinion of the crippled and disabled than Charles bi Britannia had.

"There is a bathroom connected to this room for your use on the left side. Lelouch nodded in acknowledgement at the statement.

"Thank you, Chika-san." He said, honestly grateful. The maid hadn't shown any hostility towards his nor his sister, displaying only open honesty and clever wit. Chika smiled at the appreciation, shaking her head.

"There's no need to thank me, Lelouch-sama. And it's Chika-chan to you, right Nunnally?" The girl twitched at the mention of her name.

"What?" she asked confusedly. She hadn't expected to be included in the conversation, like always back at Britannia, and had thus tuned the two out. The maid laughed.

"Well, I've got to check your brother over now. So," she turned back to the castaway prince teasingly. "Sit down on the bed, mister!" Nunnally smiled and Lelouch didn't protest against his treatment. Maybe his sister would laugh this time. He was gently pushed towards one of the beds and motioned to sit.

"Now," Chika asked, sitting down also. "Where does it hurt?" Lelouch crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Nowhere." The maid looked at him with her eyebrow raised.

"Really now?" she asked with disbelief and sarcasm clear in her voice. The boy nodded sharply.

"I'm fine," he said, and started to stand up. Chika saw this and pushed him back down by the shoulders. He tried to twist away, but she had a good grip on him and held tight.

"Oh no you don't!" she exclaimed. "I was told to check you over, and I'm not about to disobey those orders!" Lelouch stopped struggling.

"By whom?" he asked. "If I remember correctly, Kururugi-dono didn't have a chance to tell you that. He was with us the whole time." Chika's eyes twinkled knowingly and her mouth curved upward mischievously.

"How do you know we don't have telepathy? We could have mind powers for all you know…" she trailed off. Lelouch snorted and crossed his arms.

"Are you telling me that supernatural powers like those exist?" He said. "I hardly believe that." Chika raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture, winking.

"You never know. They may be just waiting around the corner, waiting for you to pass by." Lelouch turned his back to her, head raised high in the air and eyes closed.

"Don't say such nonsense." He said arrogantly. "Things like that don't exist."

"I wonder…" The boy cracked an eye open at the maid's voice. Was it his imagination, or did the maid just sound a lot closer to him than before? Then, he yelped when he felt a finger prod into his side. He jumped away from the offending appendage, his hand instantly going to his waist.

"What was that for?" he hissed like an angry cat, but shot a glance at his sister for her reaction to what had happened so far. She was smiling more so than last time he checked. Chika noticed what he was doing and had a sudden, inspirational idea. Reaching forward carefully, she held a finger next to his face in preparation. It was just out of his vision.

"That was to see if you were hurt anywhere. So you're _perfectly_ fine, hmm?" she asked. Lelouch turned his head back with a retort on his lips, but never got to actually say it. He made a peculiar noise of surprise in his throat and backed away from the maid again.

"Wh-what was that for?" he spluttered, rubbing his cheek.

"What was what?" Chika said, feigning ignorance. She widened her eyes and blinked for good measure. This only seemed to rile the boy up even more.

You…" he said. "You poked my face!" The maid was finding it harder and harder to keep a straight face. Lelouch-sama's face and reaction was too funny! But, somehow she managed to get her facial muscles under control.

"Oh, that?" she asked innocently. "That was more of your cheek running into my finger, not the other way around, silly." Lelouch huffed out an irritated breath of air.

"Then explain why your finger was out there in the first place! It's not even supposed to be there." Chika mockingly bent said appendage repeatedly at him.

"Who are you to dictate where my finger is to go? It's mine, not yours. Get your own." Lelouch looked fit to burst now. His face was flushed and fists clenched. The maid could almost swear there were faint clouds steadily leaking out from his ears, he was so frustrated.

"So? It's still not supposed to be there! Why, I should…" Chika smoothly interrupted his angry tirade with practiced ease, almost giggling.

"I can see you're fine, Lelouch-sama. Your injuries don't appear to be that serious or life-threatening." She stood up from the bed, and dusted off her skirt. "You're all set." She bowed respectfully at the two. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have chores I must do. If you have questions or anything, don't hesitate to call for me or ask somebody who's lived here for a while. I'll see you later, then." She exited through the door. The exit slide shut, with Lelouch staring in surprise at where the maid had just left from. His mouth was gaping open and close like a goldfish, speechless.

Then, the door slid to the side again. Chika poked her head in grinning like a loon.

"Now Lelouch-sama, if you keep on doing that, you'll stay like forever. You don't want that, do you?" she said in a sing-song voice. "Be careful…" The door closed for the final time and Lelouch finally found his voice.

"How, what, the, she, door, I…" he said, trying to find the words to describe what he was feeling. There was a soft giggle from behind him.

"Don't think too hard, onii-sama. You might break that hard-earned brain of yours." Nunnally teased. The boy groaned.

"Not you too, Nunnally." He said, covering his face with his hand. The girl looked apologetic, but not an inch regretful.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it onii-sama."

Chika closed the door, smiling, and turned around to be greeted by a green-eyed boy. She tipped her head to the side in question. She placed a hand at her hip.

"Were you eavesdropping?" she asked. "You know that's not very nice, Suzaku-sama." Suzaku looked at her, hard. His mouth was in a stern frown.

"You don't have to act like R.R. you know, Chika-chan." He said. "We _all_ miss him." The maid held up her happy expression and switched it to confusion.

"What are you talking about? I'm not acting." The Japanese boy gave her a look and mirrored her stance from the head, face, and arm, down to the way her feet was positioned.

"This was how he stood. You don't stand like this, Chika-chan. You're more straight and centered." The maid shook her head.

"This is how I have always stood," she denied. "I'm not doing anything different." Suzaku sighed and began ticking things off on his fingers.

"One, you stand different now," he started, ignoring her protest. "Two, you watch me and Toudou-sensei spar in the mornings in the exact same spot R.R. used to. Three, you suddenly like strawberries, when you used to avoid eating them. Four, you talk like him sometimes. And finally five," he looked up, aiming straight into her eyes. "You just used a joke R.R. played on me with those two."

Chika sighed, and dropped her smile. She was caught at her own game. She knew Suzaku was perspective from the beginning, ever since he was small, but that seemed to have grown and advanced even more since R.R. had come. The maid looked at the boy sadly. He was growing too fast, right before his eyes. It made her feel old despite her actually young age.

"It's true, Suzaku-sama. I have been trying to act like R.R. did." She confessed resignedly. Suzaku seemed shocked by this statement, even if he had suspected and expected it.

"Why?" he asked, in a tortured voice. Then, a changed came over him and he became mad. "Why! Why did you do it?"

Lelouch frowned, his ear pressed against the sliding door. He had overheard most of the conversation that had went on at the other side, but instead of getting answers he wanted, he had received even more questions about this place. His eyebrows drew together and his eyes narrowed in thought. He had so many questions just bubbling under the surface, begging to be answered, but only two main ones stuck out at him.

Who was R.R.? And what was so important about him?

Whatever or whoever it was, Lelouch wanted to find out.

* * *

And here's Chapter 13! (unlucky, or lucky for me, thirteen!) Wow, it seems like so much has happened to get all the way over here, but at the same time, not a lot has happened. I have a lot of ideas in my mind for the future after this arc, but then I mentally slap myself and switch over to this time period. Mou... I'm tired. It's only about ten, but I've been typing for a couple of hours, trying to finish of this chapter up and edit it. This is a little bit blurry... Maybe I've been staring at the laptop screen for too long. /blink blink/ Gah. I have to finish this before going off to read gundam wing fanfiction... /yawn/ And my 'a' key on the keyboard is sticking and clicking sometimes...

This whole chapter was entirely focused on what's going on at the Kururugi Shrine. Next chapter is probably going to be focused on what's happened in the Chinese Federation somewhere in the north-east part where's it's all sandy and the desert. Oops, sorry. I'm rambling again.

Anyways, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do on that. But, I thought the same for this chapter, not being able to type six or seven pages. In the end, I did though. So, I dunno. Does anybody have any ideas they want to suggest? I'm open. I was thinking about R.R. comforting Rolo after the boy had assassinated somebody. But then there's the idea of R.R. offering the scientists the enticing bargain of experimenting on him instead of Rolo. I want to do both, but which would work better? Or should I do a completely different idea?

Also, starting tomorrow I'll be going to band camp. It's from nine in the morning to eight in the night for the whole week. Then, after that school starts. I'm a freshman, so it's going to be hectic, chaotic, and any other word you can think up that are like those. As a result, this may be that last chapter I'll write and post up for a while... I'm sorry everyone! I feel so horrible whenever I think about it. I hope you all can be understanding.

Thank you for reviewing (as always): dhyetaX1999, nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, chaos-winged-valkryie, LovelyLittleAngel, xTratelx, Smeepalicious, and Cheza the Flower Maiden.

I really, really, _**really, really **_love you guys lots! I just checked and noticed that I have **100 REVIEWS**! You all should've seen me. My eyes got bigger in disbelief when I saw that. You are all so amazing! Should I write a one-shot in celebration when I find the time? What should it be about? Fluff? I've never really tried that before, unless you count R.R. and little Suzie-chan... Maybe a scene on having trouble writing love letter confession? I dunno...

Oh yeah! Please tell me if you are for or against the idea of a SuzaLulu (Suzaku and Lelouch) pairing. I would like to know all of your opinions... because I know there are some people out there who aren't really comfortable with the idea of slash... It will effect the story, so fear not!

I think I should stop rambling now... Hey! This is the... fourth? Fifth? Eighth? time I've heard this song. (I listen to a playlist whenever I write. It's like the music traps me inside a timeless bubble and I focus better.) This note is getting rather long. It's evolving from a note to a letter! Help!

Anyway! I love everyone who have read my story and stuck with me! Chocolate cake and cookies to everyone! Yay! And things aren't so blurry anymore that much! Double yay!

Lots (and lots of lots) of love,

Shini

P.S.

I just measure this on Microsoft Word and it's almost a whole page long! /ducks chocolate cake and cookies/ Eek! Okay, I'll stop officially now! /goes behind wall, but then peeks out/ And don't forget I love everyone! /goes back behind wall/

Maybe I should've written this in the morning before band camp. I post new chapters in the morning... but then I might run out of time... Ack! I'm typing again! Sorry! Good night, everyone!


	14. Chapter 14

_Of Promises and Lies- _Chapter 14

* * *

"Hey, R.R.?" The white-haired, half-dozing immortal nodded slightly in response. Rolo was leaning against the cell bars, back-to-back with the other man. He idly traced circles on the stone floor.

'_Yes, Rolo?'_ R.R. asked. _'What is it?'_

"Well…" the boy started. He swung his feet side-to-side nervously. "Umm…" R.R. cracked an eye open and shifted his head so his ear was leaning toward Rolo.

'_I'm listening. Whatever you want to ask, it can't be,'_ he yawned. _'It can't be that difficult of a question. Just ask it.'_ He expected a childish query, one brought by curiosity and easy to answer.

"What is 'love'?" Rolo finally asked with hesitation in his voice, as if unsure if he should've kept his mouth shut. R.R. blinked, and paused. The boy took this as a negative response and turned around, clutching the bars with his small hands.

"No, wait. Never mind, R.R., you don't have to answer that." The man opened his eyes and faced the boy. His hands rose up and Rolo flinched. R.R.'s eyes softened at that instinctive action and he slowly overlaid his fingers on top on Rolo's.

'_Rolo, you know I would never hit you out of spite.'_ He said. The boy averted his eyes to the side, unable to meet the man in face.

"I know," he mumbled. "It's just…" R.R. smiled a gentle smile and he tipped the boy's head up so they would see eye to eye.

'_It's alright. You don't have to explain. I already know.'_

"Alright," Rolo said. The man tipped his head to the side, a soft expression on his features.

'_Now, for that question…' _Rolo quickly widened his eyes and he shook his head.

"No, no, you don't have to…" R.R. cut him off to ask a question of his own, but it wasn't in pursuit of the boy's question, and Rolo was relieved.

'_Rolo,'_ he said, changing the topic. _'Have I ever lied to you?'_ The boy sighed and shifted his body into a more comfortable position. Kneeling on a stone ground was hard on his knees and legs.

"Never." R.R. nodded approvingly.

'_Exactly, and what have I taught you about lies and lying?'_ Rolo took a deep breath in preparation for what he was about to say. His eyes became slightly glazed as he delved deep into his mind.

"Lies never stay lies. They eventually become truths. Also, people never lie if they don't have a reason to. The only reason why lies exist in this world is because people want something. That something could be anything, having a great variety. They could want to hide something, to feel a sense of dominance, to obtain something they want, to sabotage, to bring attention upon their own self, or corrupt something."

'_And the last reason?'_ R.R. prodded, searching for a specific answer. _'You're missing one.'_ Rolo sighed.

"There is a last, but most important and dangerous reason why people lie. That is to protect something or someone they hold dear to their heart and soul. They don't want their loved ones to be hurt, so they strive to prevent that from happening. This type of lying has the most powerful results if taken well. But, also can produce the most drastic of endings if, upon the admission or revealing, the person or persons that had been lied to does not take it well. It is the creator and destroyer of any kind of relationship."

Then, Rolo blinked up at R.R., a shy smile on his lips.

"Was that good? Did I say everything right?" R.R.'s chuckle echoed in the boy's mind as he mussed up Rolo's hair, making the soft curls even messier than usual. "Hey!" the boy protested, his hands rising to smooth his locks down.

'_Yes,'_ the man nodded. '_You did. Everything was perfectly recited back to me, down to the last word. Good job.'_ Rolo smiled bashfully, glowing with accomplishment at the praise directed at him. R.R. raised an eyebrow with an amused expression on his face.

'_But, the question is, did you understand what you just said?'_ The boy's face crumpled. He didn't. He just parroted the words and sentences back, not really knowing what he was saying. R.R. laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

'_Just remember those words, especially the last part. It'll be important. When you're older, you'll understand them. For now,'_ he poked Rolo on the forehead. _'Just keep smiled and laughing, no matter what, okay?'_ The lavender-eyed boy nodded.

"Okay!" he said determinedly. "I promise!" R.R. laughed.

'_Don't forget.'_ He added warningly.

"I won't!" The man was amused by the tone Rolo had given him, full of conviction. He brushed his lips over the boy's knuckles in an affectionate gesture, purely platonic. He was about to reply when the doors to the cell room unlocked and opened. Everyone in the room stiffened and stopped talking.

It was _that_ time of the day again.

R.R. and Rolo quickly released hands and tore away from the other, old habits kicking in. They each went to the darkest edge and corner of their cell and huddled into a little ball, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible and each hoping they wouldn't be picked. The others around them did the exact same thing.

The small gaggle of four scientists walked along the corridor looking into every one of the cells, in search of a new subject. Their white coats paled in contrast to the dim lighting, giving them a slightly glowing look. R.R.'s eyes narrowed at them as they past by him from between his arms. He knew all of them from last time, and no doubt they all recognized him from all those years ago too. They were Drs. V, E, R, and T, and they were the head scientists and researchers of the whole organization.

Dr. V was a tall woman with flaming red hair. Her main focus of study was the development of fetuses that were scientifically altered to have the Geass from their creation until birth. The prisoners she took were most of the time young women. She had no qualms about this despite she was a woman herself. She held herself with poise and rigidity, chin held up high, and hair lighting up her pale skin. She was the flame a moth was drawn to, beautiful to stare at but dangerous to touch.

Dr. E was the exact opposite. While Dr. V was tall and thin, he was short and squat. His lab coat was unbuttoned to allow excessive amounts of body mass to fit extremely snugly against the piece of clothing. His major objective was to determine how the Geass could be controlled and manipulated to its limits. It was he who designed and created the GL, or Geass Lock, a device used to disable and reverse any Geass within a certain range. Although he was wide in girth, his eyes were sharp and intelligent in their own right.

Dr. R was a petite old woman, compared to her companions. Her hair was streaked grey and white with age, and she had a thick pair of glasses perched at the end of her long nose. But, even though she was elderly, the prisoners knew not to underestimate her. She was one of the more ruthless scientists of the four. Her assignment was to examine the effects Geass had on the physical body, alive or dead. She wasn't queasy at all about cutting into still alive, conscious bodies and looking at samples under a high-powered tool.

Dr. T was a long, pale-haired man. He was the youngest of the four, and had the best looks, easily topping the others in that department. He had perfect, straight, white teeth, and the body of a man who worked out daily. The only that took away from his appearance were his cold, icy eyes. They were as hard as a stone and pale blue in color. His assignment was to improve, change, or evolve the relationship between Geass and those who wielded it. He was the most dangerous of them all. It was a well-known fact that whoever got chosen by him never came back.

R.R. held his breath as the scientists slowly chose their next testing subjects, one-by-one. His muscles almost unnoticeably tensed with every click and noise that sounded throughout the room. He watched as the three people were led out of the room to the labs, feeling sympathy for the unlucky few, but happy it wasn't him in their place. Nobody would willingly switch places with them, and they knew it. It was a sad, yet cruel way to view the situation, but it was the truth. Why suffer for someone you know won't suffer for you? All talk of sacrificial and saving the other was false. This was reality.

Then, he brought back to awareness when the unmistakable sounds of keys jingling and sharp click of a lock being released. With horror and dread filling his body, starting from a bit at the bottom of his stomach, he looked to the side towards Rolo's cell.

The boy was huddling in the corner, pressing himself against the wall with eyes wide with terror at the man standing in front of his cell. Dr. T smiled with a predatory smile. He swept an arm out extravagantly.

"Won't you come out?" he asked, sweetly. R.R. glared at the man. There was one thing that made his despise the scientist was the fact that he acted mockingly courteous and polite towards his next victims.

The little boy's shivering increased to large shaking. He was clenching himself so hard that his knuckles turned white. He shifted closer to the wall, if it was possible, in a small attempt to get away. It was in vain, though, as R.R saw the man walk into the cell and grab one of Rolo's hands. The boy tried to tug his capture appendage away, but with no success.

"Why won't you come and play with me. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun." Rolo jerkily shook his head and seemed to shrink under the man's intense gaze.

"I'll give you whatever you want." Dr. T cajoled to no avail. Rolo refused to budge. R.R. had to mentally applaud the boy at his defiance. It took guts to outright refuse the scientist, but only seemed to worsen the situation. The doctor's face then twisted from kind to menacing in a moment. R.R. a wave of déjà vu, but brushed it away in favor of waiting for what would happen next, already having a good idea of what would happen.

Dr. T would, like always, snarl and threaten the unwilling prisoner with threats of experiments, or death. However, he never actually physically harmed any being outside the lab, R.R. mused. It seemed the doctor had some twisted sense of honor, even if it was a morbid one. This time would be no different, the white-haired man decided.

He turned his focus outward again to see Rolo shout out as he was violently dragged out of his cell, eyes widening in surprise. This wasn't supposed to happen! The doctor had never done something like this before. R.R's gaze narrowed in thought. What would be the cause of such unnatural actions? He knew Dr. T preferred his subjects as healthy as possible before he had his way with them. If they were hurt on the way to the labs, then they were always returned because he didn't want them. He claimed they were sniveling and not worthy of science.

So, why would he knowingly do something that had the risk of harming a subject of his choosing? Unless… R.R. felt a mixture of emotions bubble from his gut as he realized just what exactly the doctor was aiming for, and he would follow along with, because he had no other choice.

He stood up and defiantly glared at Dr. T. The other prisoners looked at him as if he was mad, their faces definitely questioning his sanity. The doctor, on the other hand, had a gleeful expression on his features, but quickly covered it up with indifference.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked voice full of curiosity. R.R. would've applauded the act if it were anyone else, but only deepened his frown at the blond man in front of him. He felt Rolo's wide eyes staring at him in disbelief, but didn't dare look at the little boy.

Slowly, Dr. T's grasp on Rolo's arm slacked and finally released the boy. R.R. couldn't help but breathe an inward sigh of relief. A smiled started to cross the doctor's face, lighting up his face dangerously.

"I suppose you mean to take his place then?" R.R. gave a curt nod, praying that the motionless boy on the ground wouldn't react before he left. Dr. T clapped in his delight.

"Excellent. And here I thought you weren't available when Master V.V. strictly said you weren't to participate if you didn't volunteer." There was a sly wink, as if sharing a confidential secret. "I bet he didn't except that to happen, hmm?" There was no response from R.R., his body taut as a wire. Dr. T continued on gaily as if R.R. had responded positively. He checked his watch on his wrist and clucked his tongue.

"Look at the time," he said as he unlocked R.R.'s cell door. "We must get going. We mustn't make science wait, no, not at all." He motioned for the other man to move forward. "Come along." Obediently, R.R. followed the doctor, docile as a lamb. He didn't react when his straightjacket was cuffed around his upper body and arms. He expected it. It was nice to know not everything changed from this distorted place.

R.R. held his head up high, refusing to appear weak in front of his fellow prisoners as he walked to the exit. He knew some of the younger ones looked up to him as a role model, adopting his silent and mostly aloof nature. It wouldn't do a single shred of good to destroy that image. Also, he still had his pride to hold onto.

The door creaked as it heavily and slowly was swung open by the guards. They sneered at R.R., knowing the rumors about Dr. T, and one of them spat on R.R.'s black, lab-issued jacket. R.R paid them no mind. It wouldn't be the first time they did something like that.

He was through the door when there was a sudden cry from inside the cells.

"No! R.R., don't go! Take me instead! Just don't hurt him! Please!" It was Rolo. One of the guards cursed at the shouts and went inside.

"Shut up brat! You're too loud!" There was a period of silence as a loud smack was heard. Then, the cries came back, growing even more in volume.

"R.R.!" The boy's voice was desperate. R.R. looked back and managed to send a quick thought to him, but was roughly shoved forward as a result. He was last seen tripping before the door closed with a resounding thud.

Rolo looked in disbelief at the closed door, his head shaking in denial. He clenched his fists, wishing with all his heart that he could've stopped what had just happened. He bowed his head, hiding the tears threatening to spill from his light purple eyes. Slowly, his legs collapsed from under him and his body fell forward to the ground.

Angrily, he banged on the stone floor with clenched, small fists until he had no more energy. His hands were dirty and bruised from the mighty beating the received in kind, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he was trying not to make his crying obvious. R.R. had always said not to show weakness in front of others you didn't trust. The man had followed his words until the end, and that last stumble was no fault of his own.

Rolo shook his head furiously. What was he thinking? It wasn't as if R.R. was dead already! But, he realized with a sinking heart, that it was only a matter of time. It was almost him in that place. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on the situation was looked at R.R. had replaced him with himself.

The boy shivered, finally looking miserably up. What could he do? He was just a weak, little boy. He couldn't do _anything_. He curled up in a ball. All he could was repeat the words R.R. had relayed to him over and over in his head.

"That was nice," Dr. T commented to R.R. "That little boy seems to care for you a lot." R.R. just determinedly looked forward. The doctor chuckled. "What? Did somebody take your voice away?" Then, he blinked, as if just remembering something. "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot. _I_ was the one who did that didn't I?"

R.R. couldn't help himself and snorted in one of the most undignified ways. Only his tightly fisted hands betrayed his immense anger. The doctor smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I can assure you, we'll have lots of fun together." He unlocked the door in front of the two and motioned R.R. forward with a wide smile. "After you." R.R. gave Dr. T a long look and they stayed frozen like that for a stretched moment. With a slow blink, R.R. carefully stepped forward, keeping the doctor in sight at the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise behind him and he whirled around to tackle the other. But, he realized, the man wasn't there. He felt a prick at the side of his neck and instantly he became drowsy. Maybe he shouldn't have tried to tackle somebody who wasn't there… As his eyelids fluttered, he saw a mutated, blurred version of the doctor. In his mind, Dr. T sort of looked like a girl with all that hair… The corners of his mouth lifted at the thought.

Then, his eyes rolled to the top of his head and he was out like a light.

* * *

Hiya guys! I'm so sorry for not updating for such a long time! Bad things just kept on snowballing and sweeping me away. But, about two months later, I'm updating! Yay! Thank you so much for sticking with me. :3

Thank you for reviewing (as always): dhyetaX1999, nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, chaos-winged-valkryie, LovelyLittleAngel, xTratelx, Smeepalicious, ryuu11, Cornelia Li Britannia, Blackrose 2005, Cheza the Flower Maiden, and The Awakened Writer.

Also, thanks to Ame-chan (ame-no-itteki) for bugging me so much on a regular basis and giving me little snippet ideas.

Don't hesitate to say any ideas, thoughts, comments, constructive criticism, etc.

I'm not exactly sure how constant my updating will be, just as a small warning. School's taking up my time!

Also, please vote at the poll on my profile. (Yes, I know, it's tedious. But, it's easier to keep track of each individual vote that way.) It's asking if I should continue playing with the pre-series material or go to the series's main time line. This chapter has quite a nice opening to make the transition. But it's all of you reading this, not me. So, your opinions' are pretty important. /shrugs/ Either way is fine.

Hey! Look at that, this AN isn't that long, or, at least compared to the others...

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Shini


	15. Chapter 15

_Of Promises and Lies-_ Chapter 15

* * *

Lelouch was sitting contentedly at the elevated floor, gazing outside but not really seeing the scenery, so immersed in his thoughts.

True to his word, or thoughts, Lelouch had assigned himself a mission. Objective: Find out who "R.R." was and why he was so important to his new hosts. Conditions: unknown. Strategy: unknown. He straightened in his seat, nodding determinedly. It was a good plan.

He started to stand up, but sat right back down burying his hands in his face, shaking his head. Who was he trying to fool? He had absolutely _no_ idea how to obtain his objective. This wasn't like chess when he played with his older brother Schneizel back in Britannia. Chess was exact and had rules. It required tactc and strategy. It was even predictable if you knew enough about it.

This, on the other hand, had too many unknowns in it. He barely knew anybody who would have the information he was looking for. They would never freely admit anything to him. Also, he didn't even know what R.R. was! Was he a person, an animal? Then, he was hit with a sudden thought. Did he even know if R.R. was a he, she, or it?

Lelouch groaned, feeling his mind overload at the amount of thoughts swirling in his head. He was getting nowhere at this rate, running himself painfully into dead ends. It was like mentally running into a brick wall over and over. He tried to stop thinking about this illusive… _thing_, but found he couldn't. His mind just kept on drifting to the unknown topic and before he noticed it, two hours had already passed.

The boy blushed when his stomach growled in protest of the long period of time sitting doing nothing but thinking. He hadn't eaten in a while, and should get something to satisfy his stomach before it got any worse. He wrapped an arm around his midsection in an attempt to stop the vibrations. Then, he though of his sister, his sweet, sweet little sister.

Nunnally was probably hungry too, seeing that she had eaten at the same time as him. He should go find her. He got up and headed to their shared room. But, when he opened the sliding door, there was no Nunnally in sight. It took a while for it to sink in that his _younger sister_ was _gone_. _Nunnally_ was _gone_.

He erupted into a flutter of panicked activity and tore out of the room. He ran through the halls, throwing open doors with a bang and calling out his sister's name.

"Nunnally! Nunnally!" he shouted. "Where are you?" There was no response to his cries.

As he dashed through the halls, he passed Suzaku, who was balancing a large ink pot on his arms. Purely accidental, his shoulder crashed into Suzaku's. With a clang, the ornamental metal jar was knocked out and spilled all over the wood floor. Luckily, none of it stained into the other boy's clothes.

"Hey!"

But, Lelouch didn't even pause to look back at the mess he had created or apologize for it. There was only a single thing on his mind. Nunnally. Suzaku stared at his retreating back, taking a moment to recover some of his lost breath.

Suzaku painfully sat up and rubbed his behind with a dark scowl on his face.

"He could have said some warning or something, you know." He muttered. "But no..." Then, he saw the upturned pot and mess the black ink had made. "Oh no," he moaned, looking at the rapidly spreading black. "Toudou-sensei is going to kill me." He sighed. "What's his problem?" He asked to no particular person, referring to Lelouch. "What was he saying over and over again? Nunnally? Isn't that his sister? What?" he asked sarcastically. "Did she disappear in thin air?" Then, he realized what he just said. "Oh no..." he groaned, knowing where this was going to lead to.

"Wait… don't tell me she really did go missing?" He gasped, wishing it wasn't so. But, he knew she did. After all, Lelouch had acted so very out of character just a moment ago. The only person close enough to the other boy that could cause such a reaction was Nunnally. He felt a twinge of something start in his chest, but ignored it and brushed it to the side.

Suzaku glanced outside and decided to bring an umbrella with him. It didn't look too good out there with all the cloud skies and humid air. It was about to rain, and very heavily. He could just feel it. He grabbed the desire object and set out to chase after the errant boy, after carefully closing the sliding door behind him.

Lelouch slammed the sliding door open and ran out of the house's safety, not bothering to close the door behind him, such was his haste, these actions similar to a situation that happened not too long ago. Then, he tore down the worn, old forest path straight into the dense growth of trees, calling his beloved sister's name as he went.

His feet patted rhythmically on the ground, and his breath was coming in short, quick bursts. He had been running as fast as he could ever since he came out of the house. Or, in other words, he was sprinting.

It wasn't too long before he had to stop and allow his body a break. _Just a quick one, _he thought. As his breathed heavily, he brought a hand up to his chest reassuringly, trying to stop his heart from beating so fast, like big bass drum. It felt like it was ready to jump out of his chest.

While he rested for a bit, Lelouch's mind was working quickly, the gears about to grind in protest. He should have exercised his body more often when he was younger. If he had, he wouldn't be in this kind of situation. His thoughts flickered to Suzaku, envious. How the other boy could run for endless hours on end without breaking a sweat was beyond him. If Lelouch ran for five minutes, he would be ready to collapse to the floor, gasping for air and drowning in his own sweat. Without out a doubt, should the two run a race, Suzaku would always be the winner.

Then, he shook his head. He should be focusing on the matter at hand.

Lelouch straightened up and continued to walk in a random direction, breathing a bit better than before and his eyes scanning the surrounding green foliage for a glimpse of his sister or her wheelchair.

Suzaku sighed as he climbed down an oak tree. He traced the rough bark and tapped it impatiently as he pondered on where he hadn't looked. His mind quickly mapped out the forest trails and pathways he knew by heart.

The fairy clearing?

Check.

The trail to the cave?

Check.

The cave?

Check..

The cave, deeper?

Check.

The Trail the Never Ends?

Check.

Never Ends?

Nope, but that wasn't necessary.

Suzaku blinked as he suddenly thought of another place, a place he hadn't been to for a very, very long time... The boy did an about face and began to march, albeit stiffly, to the pond.

As soon as he entered the small clearing, he was assaulted by a barrage of memories from a past he wished he could just forget. He dropped his unused umbrella and his hand went to his chest, to land on top of an object hidden under the folds of clothing. He reached inside and pulled out two chains. One old and slightly battered, the other one shiny and constantly kept in good condition. His eyes glazed over and his mind was swept away with thoughts.

Then, there was a small rustling and he brought his hands up in a defensive gesture, dropping the chains in the process. He turned around to search for the source of the noise and he managed to hide under a bush as a figure cautiously came out of the leaves. He managed to stifle a gasp. It was Nunnally.

"Nii-san?" was a soft, wavering voice. "Nii-san, are you there?" Suzaku was conflicted. Should he tell her he was not her brother or leave to get Lelouch. Then, Nunnally spoke again. "Nii-san, if you're out there, please come out." She trembled when there was only silence.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

That made the decision for him and he stepped out.

Nunnally was sure she had heard something here. There was the sounds of movement, and light breathing, or so she thought. She could have been wrong, but she was so sure there was another presence in the immediate area. She had been working so hard to listen what went around her to compensate for her lack of sight. Now, she was afraid she had ran into a wild animal or something. She hoped it was friendly.

Then, the bushes in front of her rustled in her ears and she outstretched a hand to intercept the being in case it decided to jump on her. She braced herself for impact and tensed, but it never came. He felt a hand descended on top of her and lower her arms to her seated legs.

"Nii-san?" She gasped. There was a chuckle and she stiffened. The owner of said chuckled patted her arm reassuringly.

"Sorry, but I'm not your brother. It's Suzaku. We haven't talked much, but still..." the voice trailed off. Nunnally smiled in relief. She could at least identify the voice to belong to the person it said it did.

"It's okay." she said. "I'm glad it's you actually, and not some animal." There was a rustle of clothing around her head level. Nunnally thought it was a shrug.

"Most of the animals here are friendly. They're not much to be afraid if. Don't worry." The girl smiled.

"Thank you. So, would you know where my nii-san is?" Another rustle of clothing, a shrug.

"I don't know. He just sort of went away and left me high and dry, panicked because he couldn't find you." Nunnally giggled, while trying to find Suzaku with her hands.

"I'm not surprised. That seems very much like him." Suzaku grunted and said something very quietly.

"I don't know about that..." Nunnally tipped her head to the side, a questioning expression on her face. For a moment, her hands stopped their search. Suzaku sighed. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Nunnally gave a triumphant sound from the back of her throat when her hand landed on something solid in front of her. Then, she realized she felt a cold piece of metal along with rough cotton. Curiously, she wrapped her small hands around the dog tags and traced their edges with her fingers. She felt the thin grooves and dents on the smooth surfaces.

"What are these, Suzaku?" Suzaku was at loss at what to say.

"Um... they're... they're..." he paused, hesitant on what to say. "They're in honor of a friend." Nunnally was curious again.

"Who?" Suzaku gently pulled back and tucked the necklaces under his white shirt where they belonged. He didn't answer at first. After a long while, with Nunnally patiently waiting, he told her in quiet, subdued voice.

"His name is R.R."

"R.R?" Nunnally asked. Suzaku nodded, and the realized the girl couldn't see his motion.

"Yes," he answered.

"That's a strange name." The boy shrugged in response.

"That was his name, nothing more, nothing less." There was an awkward silence. Then Nunnally asked another question.

"But, why 'is'? Isn't it supposed to be 'was'?" Suzaku faintly smiled upon hearing that.

"Yeah, he's still my friend, isn't he? He had to go away for a while, but he's coming back eventually." He said with a wistful, longing tone.

"He sounds like a good friend."

"Yeah," Suzaku sat down and gazed up at the sky, remembering a long time ago when he did this with specific other person. Nunnally seemed to know he was experiencing a private moment, and left him be.

"I miss him...."

Nunnally wasn't too sure how to respond to this statement, so she did the best thing she could think of.

"Why don't you tell me about him? I'll listen." Suzaku pondered on these words, and then closed his eyes. He began to talk.

"Well, it all began when I got lost in a forest when I was younger. It was then I met him. But then, I didn't know how good friends we would be. It's now that I remember him when he's gone, that I finally realize how close we were..."

Nunnally quietly listened and nodded, all the while smiling softly as she heard about this unknown person, R.R., that was so important to her young host.

Lelouch was lost. He wasn't slightly lost, but entirely, and utterly lost. He hadn't known where he was for a very, very long time. All the trees looked the same, and it seemed like he was going in circles. In his opinion, this was not good at all.

His eyes flickered to a tree stump near his feet. It looked vaguely familiar. He could have sworn he passed the same thing before not too long ago. He continued on, sighing and shaking his head at the oddity of this forest.

Lelouch blindingly trudged on through the thick, old trunks, straining his ears for anything else besides the sound of his feet and other natural woodland noises. He heard none and looked at the ground to spot a certain landmark he'd seem before... the tree stump.

"Argh!" He groaned, his hands going up to twist his dark hair in frustration. "Why this again!" He childishly stomped his foot on the ground many times until his anger was vented, all the while yelling strings of unintelligible gibberish. Then, he collapsed to the ground, covering his face.

"This is hopeless," he mumbled. "I'll never find my way out of here." Lelouch started to feel his eyes tingling. He blinked, trying to get rid of the feeling of glaze on them, but only succeeded in making it worse. He closed his eyes and pressed the heels of his hands over them.

"I'm crying." He noticed with shock. "What's wrong with me?" There was a bark of humorless laughter. "How weak can I be? First, I lose Nunnally, and now this!" By the end of that sentence, his voice had choked up and the last words barely made it out.

Then, as if to laugh at his misery, the clouds decided that exact moment was the perfect moment to give up trying to hold the sky up, their burden too heavy. It started to rain.

Suzaku looked up as he felt the first few drops of rain fall on his cheek. A raindrop fell on his eyes and he blinked furiously. Then, he turned to Nunnally.

"We should get back to the house." The girl nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it wouldn't be good if we got all wet." Suzaku picked up the previously forgotten umbrella from the ground and opened it up just as it started to rain harder. He grinned at his insightfulness.

"Then, it's a good thing I brought this, huh?" Nunnally reached towards the other to feel what he had brought.

"What is it?" The boy flushed when he realized he had forgotten about the girl's blindness.

"Sorry, it's an umbrella." Nunnallly smiled.

"It's alright. Now, we should get going now." Suzaku lifted the umbrella over Nunnally and leaned close to the wheelchair as he could. The area of blocked rain was just enough for the two of them. The edges of his clothes would get a little soaked, but it was getting than getting the girl's legs completely wet. It was pouring quite hard now, in a shower.

With that in mind, Suzaku started to head back to the house, and at the same time push Nunnally along.

At the same time, there was another little boy, all alone, having taken refuge under a tree from the onslaught of water. Lelouch shivered as he pulled his arms and legs closer to his chest. He was _freezing_, and his thin, soaked clothes weren't helping the matter. He wished he had brought something thicker and warmer. He closed his eyes. Wishing for a different past wasn't going to help the matter. He didn't do it, so there was no need for any regrets.

Lelouch shivered again, fervently hoping somebody or something would find him soon. The chances were slim of him being found, but still, he hoped.

* * *

Bwahaha! Yet another cliffie! I seem to do that a lot more... /shrugs/ This chapter was based on what I've read about the turning point of Suzaku and Lelouch's relationship. I had it all planned out and everything, but it seemed the characters didn't like that and rebelled against me! ^_^ It turned out well, methinks.

Thank you for reviewing (as always): dhyetaX1999, nequam-tenshi, shiai10, starlight luna, Airiko-the-Angel13, slivblue, Shinigami966890, fan-fan31, Spartan Eragon, Rathka95, 2stupid, key46812, Devil's Melody, ame-no-itteki, HaremBishie, arrogantbear, Bea, Nusku, Regina, Crazy animal lover, ochibi-chwan, lilyrose225, yajni06, SecondtoNon, chaos-winged-valkryie, LovelyLittleAngel, xTratelx, Smeepalicious, ryuu11, Cornelia Li Britannia, Blackrose 2005, Cheza the Flower Maiden, Yami Yugi Alexander the 4th, Shadow at Midnight and The Awakened Writer.

Sorry if chapters seem to be shorter. They just seem to cut-off nicely at those times.

Would it bother anyone if I answered anonymous review down here in the AN? I've been itching to, but I don't know if I should. I know from personal experience sometimes it's irritating, and other times not. /crosses fingers/ I really hope it's okay!

Review?

Thanks for reading! ^_^

Love,

Shini


	16. Chapter 16

_Of Promises and __Lies-_ Chapter 16

_

* * *

Nothingness..._

That was the first this that came to his mind when he felt the stirrings of consciousness. He contemplated on staying asleep forever. It was tempting. Being asleep meant he would feel nothing, see nothing, hear nothing, and do nothing. It was the closest to death he could get. But, a slight, constant whirring noise reached his ears and he was overwhelmed by a child-like curiosity. What was it?

R.R. slowly opened his eyes to be met by green. Idly, he wondered what it could be. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he realized he was floating. How nice. Fun.

Then, his recent memories hit him like a sledgehammer and he gave a jolt. A plume of bubbles escaped from the mask attached to his face as he panicked. Rolo! Was the boy alright? The poor boy was probably frantic by now. And Dr. T, where did the man go? His eyes darted left, right, up, and down. There was not a trace of the doctor.

A slight tap alerted from behind alerted him that he was not alone. He easily turned around in his watery prison to be face-to-face with the very person he had been searching for.

R.R. raised his arm and clenched his fist as if to punch the man from behind the glass, but then decided against it. The glass was reinforced. It would take a perpetual force to make even a dent in it. The doctor smiled approvingly at him, but as always, it was mocking in nature.

"You can hear me, can you not?" Dr. T asked politely. R.R. just furiously glared in response. The doctor clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now, now, what did we learn? You must _always_ answer when I ask you a question. Didn't we go over this last time you visited me?" He sighed. "And here I though my hospitality was top-notch. Everyone who came here couldn't bear to leave once they enter. All of them stayed," he looked at R.R. sadly. "Except you."

R.R. couldn't resist making a rude gesture at the words said. Dr. T's face darkened, marring the perfect image he had presented ever since R.R. woke.

"What did I say about such behavior? Or," he deadly said. "Do we need another lesson or two?" R.R. didn't respond to that, remembering what had happened last time. He tensed his body to avoid shivering, not wanting to show any weakness in front of his enemy. The doctor's face smiled tightly.

"Good, but don't think you're going to get off so easily." He glanced down at the panel in front of him. He ran a caressing finger of the chrome buttons, each number from one through twenty. "I designed this machine specifically for you, did you know that? But," his expression turned sad. "You left before I finished it. I tried to use on the other subjects, but none of them were the same as you. They didn't survive after one trial, and the results weren't as satisfying or productive." He sighed. "You were the most magnificent subject I have ever seen or will have. With you, I can use this over, and over, and over again! No longer will I need to bother with a table and other such nonsense."

As R.R. heard the doctor's speech, who was clearly insane, he had a ominous feeling in his gut growing larger with each word uttered. If the other prisoners didn't survive one use, then that would mean-

"So, R.R." the man practically purred his name. "Which one shall we do first?" R.R. quickly tried to reply, but only a stream of bubbles issued from the air mask and he was drenched in a cold sensation, fear.

Dr. T chuckled at his poor attempt.

"Just for that, why don't we start with a favorite of mine?" One of the silver buttons were pushed down and the machinery above and below started whirring with more intensity.

R.R.'s pupils shrank in his fear and his body was frozen. It seemed everything was slowed down, because he could feel, hear, and see _everything._ The tank's vibration, his lungs inflating and deflating rapidly, his eyes widening, and the doctor's face of extreme childish glee. But above it all, there was the beating of his cursed heart.

_Ba-thump. _

_Ba-thump._

_Ba-thump. _

_-thump. _

_Silence. _

_Ba-_

_thump. _

_Ba-thump._

_Ba-thump. _

_Ba-thumpBa-_

_Ba-thumpBa-thump. _

_ThumpThumpThumpThump. _

Then, R.R. opened his mouth, and _screamed _as hundreds of volts of electricity shot through his body.

Dr. T just watched the suffering spectacle he found so fascinating with enraptured eyes.

R.R. tore at the air mask and ripped it away from his face in a vain attempt to escape from the immense pain he was experiencing. He beat at the glass with his hands, kicked it with his feet, and cried unnoticeable tears. But, nothing convinced the merciless doctor to stop the scientific torture. The man just stared on at the spasmodic body.

R.R just wanted it to _stop_. He was ready to do anything, _anything_, to make it stop. It hurt so much. His throat was raw and sore from extreme overuse, but he was beyond caring. He begged, pleaded, for mercy, but his words were swallow by water and given the appearance of white, circular bubbles. His vision was blackening and fraying at the edges, and he gladly welcomed it.

He was finally given bliss when he teetered over the edge and fell into the abyss of darkness.

Dr. T sighed as his subject's body slacked and became limp. It was over, such a beautiful sight. He wiped his eyes and straightened his lab coat with an air of seriousness. He sat down and made himself comfortable to observe the data scrolling down the screen in front of him. But before actually settling down, he punched a couple of commands into the computer. Then, he sighed contentedly. He had missed this.

R.R. dimly woke up to see the smiling face of Dr. T. He immediately reeled back in surprise and fear to impact against the curved glass tube. Dr. T grinned.

"Hello again. Ready?" R.R. was bombarded with confusion, but never even got an attempt to ask. His supply of oxygen was cut off and he violently panicked, releasing most of the previous, precious air he still had in his lungs. His mind was all in a whirl. What was happening? What was going on? He didn't have long enough to ponder before he was swept away.

Rolo shivered, wishing R.R. was here in the neighboring cell. He was lonely. It was cold, quite literally and figuratively in the prisoner area. He huddled his body closer together and whimpered. He didn't even glance up when the building door opened, knowing it wasn't the scientists, nor caring.

There was the tapping of high heels clacking softly against the stone ground. They paused outside his cell door, but he just kept his head down when he felt the person's eyes fall on him. The pressure lifted and the clacking continued on deeper. Rolo heard heard a woman quietly whisper something to the other prisoners and there was responses, but he didn't bother focusing on what was being said. There wasn't a reason to, he thought. But, he was wrong.

If Rolo had bothered to listen, then he would've heard the woman's first sentence.

"My name is C.C. I want to break R.R. out of here and I require your assistance. Is anyone interested?"

C.C wasn't sure if this was going to work, to tell the truth. She was technically the enemy, and the leader of the prisoner's tormentors. They had no reason or obligation to help her. She glanced around and the people looking cautiously at her. By all means, she had a risk of being branded a traitor and thrown into one of these cells herself. Rules had to be followed and she was no exception, but she had to risk it. It was for R.R.

Ever since the first day the man had been brought in by the organization's Hunters, people who searched across the world for people with potential for the Geass, he had intrigued her. He was the strongest, iron-willed, wild person she had ever seen. A small smile graced her features as she remember that day.

"_C.C." V.V. said. "The Hunters have sent a message, saying they found a very peculiar individual. Care to see him with me?" C.C. sighed and mentally rolled her eyes, but stood up. _

"_Very well," she said. "As you wish." _

_Whatever they had been expecting, _this_ was most definitely not it. _

_C.C.'s eyes had been drawn to the struggling old man held and supported by ropes. He was surprising putting up a good fight someone his age. Then, he looked and her breath was knocked away by his deep, violet eyes. _

_V.V. stepped forward. _

"_Who might you be, stranger? Your hair is white as snow, but you are only barely past manhood." The man laughed at V.V. and sweetly spoke out. _

"_Unlike you," he said as if talking to a four-year-old., enunciating every word clearly and slowly "You will eternally be young a child!" V.V.'s eyes narrowed in suspicion. _

"_How would you know that?" There was a grim, mocking laugh. _

"_Do you wish to know?" The answer was immediate. _

"_Yes." _

"_Well," the stranger said with a happy-go-lucky smile and sing-song voice. "I'm not telling you!" There was a hush of silence. Then, the stranger was heavily cuffed on the head by one of the Hunters. _

"_Talk to Master V.V. with respect, you!" The prisoner cocked his head to side as if considering it. A slow, sardonic grin crossed his face. _

"_No," he said. "I don't think I will." _

From that day on, C.C.'s fascination and respect for R.R. grew. She saw all the suffering he went through, yet he faced all of them with a steadfast, unwavering smile on his face. He never failed to have an insulting, sarcastic remark to use as a comeback to V.V.'s taunting.

But, she clenched her fist, something went wrong. Dr. T had somehow manipulated R.R. into his lab still. She, however, could not simply order Dr. T to release R.R. He was, admittedly, the Geass Directorate's best scientist. If he left the organization, then their research would be down by a quarter. Also, he already knew too much. If it did come down to it, he would have to be permanently eliminated, a counterproductive course of action. So, a carefully devised plan had been made.

Now, it all up to what the prisoners would decide. She focus her eyes to gaze into each and every one of their hardened eyes.

Not only was R.R.'s freedom and sanity at stake, but so was her heart.

Yes, she had realized this long ago and hidden it very well.

She was hopelessly, and undoubtedly infatuated with R.R.

C.C. wiped a trickle of blood from the corner from her mouth and looked at the red stain on her pristine white sleeve in distaste. Her body was covered in black, blue, and purple bruises, but they weren't anything that wouldn't quickly heal.

After she had fully diagnosed her body's injuries, she curled up in a small ball and shivered. She never knew exactly how cold it was in the cells and was regretting she didn't wear more layers under her straightjacket.

Not too long ago, she had attempted to break R.R. out of his prison in Dr. T's lab, but she had been quickly found out and quickly apprehended to be thrown into the cell she was currently occupying.

But, a small smiled curled at the corners of her lips. Everything was going according to plan.

V.V. swiped an access card into the panel next to the door and a series of lights flickered before flashing a monotone green. The metal steel doors slid open with a sibilant hiss and he stepped in authoritatively. His eyes flickered to the motionless figure encased in glowing, green liquid with concealed disgust before turning to the scientists watching him warily. He gave Dr. T a slight smile.

"How is he doing?" The scientist rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"He's as perfect as last time, hasn't changed a bit!" V.V. nodded in response, and then frowned.

"Do you suppose I could have a moment alone with him?" The scientist seemed to pout for a moment before brightening up frighteningly.

"Alright, but don't take too long. So much to do, yet so little time." He laughed. "Get it? So little time?" The door closed behind him and the two immortals were alone. V.V. walked up to the green tube.

"How are you, R.R.?" he asked. There was only an exhale of carbon dioxide from the other and a narrow of the eyes. He continued on as if the man had answered.

"C.C. recently tried to arrange an escape plan for you. She even managed to recruit some of the other prisoners to help, surprisingly." He smirked. "Don't worry, she's perfectly fine. Right now, she's having a nice visit to the prisoner's cells. Though, she might try to escape again." V.V. sighed dramatically. "You never know with her." He looked to a nearby clock on the wall and shook his head. "Look at the time. I have to go now. Have a pleasant day."

R.R.'s eyes narrowed in confusion and was greatly confused of what he was just told, but couldn't prevent a glimmer of hope from sparking in his eyes.

C.C.'s breathing was deep and even, giving the appearance of being asleep. But, that pretense was quickly broken when the main door creaked open. She was immediately up and awake, her golden eyes aware. She reached into her sleeves and drew out a hidden lock-pick. It was a good thing the straightjacket had such wide arms and legs, or she wouldn't have been able to do this.

She carefully probed the lock until it gave a satisfying click. The hinges didn't creak at all, having been oiled previously for this specific event. Then, she went to the cell next to her's and oiled the rusty hinges. Then, she also unlocked it and ushered its occupant gently awake.

"R.R.?" the little boy murmured. C.C.'s eyes saddened at the hope in that voice.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not C.C." she apologized. "But if you come with me, you'll be able to be with him and escape from this place."

"Really?" a tired voice asked. "How do I know you're not lying." C.C. frowned at the jadedness. How old was this boy? Seven? Eight? She softened her voice.

"Yes, if you come with me." There was a long silence and C.C. was afraid this would go wrong. That meant she would have to leave the boy behind. Then, Rolo looked up at her with dejected eyes.

"Why not? I hurt so much anyways. It won't matter." C.C.'s heart lifted at the first sentence, but deflated a fraction at the last two. She brushed her thoughts away and reached out a hand. A smaller hand cautiously slipped into hers and she smiled.

R.R's eyes snapped wide open when he heard the lab door being violently torn apart. Some pieces of wayward steel pinged against the glass tube with enough force to make a crack. He watched as the cracks grew at an agonizingly slow pace. Each sound emitted from the cracks created was like music to his ears. He braced himself for the final crack.

But despite all his preparation, he was still caught off guard and was thrown forward. He hissed in pain as sharp glass shards were embedded in his skin, but was relieved when he felt his healing kick in. The clear pieces dropped to the ground with a tingling sound and he tried to get up. Unfortunately, he didn't make it and fell back to the ground, or would've it somebody hadn't caught him. He looked up. He licked his lips and opened his mouth.

"C.C.?" he asked in hoarse, whisper-like voice. The others face lit up like a candle and before she knew what she was doing, she swept his head up and kissed him soundly on the lips. R.R. could feel a fierce blush erupt on his cheeks and he was frozen in shock. C.C. finally let go of his head with an embarrassed blush. Then a small figure tackled him with a soft cry.

"R.R.!" And said person found himself in yet another lip lock. He was more aware this time and gently pushed the little boy off.

"Don't do that." he chided. Rolo's mouth frowned and he crossed his arms defiantly in front of his chest. It was a cute sight, really, and C.C. just barely managed to stifle a giggle at the dramatic change I the boy.

"But she did it!" Rolo protested, pointing at C.C. and R.R. gave the other immortal a slight glare. She shrugged, but didn't regret her actions one bit.

"I would've stopped her like I did you," R.R. reassured and held out his arms to Rolo. "Hug?" he asked, and Rolo's lower lip trembled. He threw himself forward and the facade broke. He sobbed, like the child he truly was, and to show just how much he had missed R.R.

R.R. just bowed his head and smiled.

* * *

After I wrote the first half of this, I was very shocked at what I had written. Then, I was like 'meh, whatever'. Weird, huh? I think it was a bit gruesome, but it's the Geass Directorate. Ehehe, that's my excuse anyhow. I hope C.C. wasn't OOC, because her affection for R.R. will be pretty important for future stuff, I think.

Also, I feel the end of the pre-series writing coming nearer. With a wrap-up of what's going on at the Kururugi Shrine, I think this part will come to an end. Then, it's on to the canon-timeline! I can't wait! ^_^

Bea- Here you go! /bows/ As you wish, a chapter with RR at the Geass Directorate.

ryuu11- Hmm... now that you've read this chapter, what will you think of Dr. T now? I wonder... /giggle/

Thank you for everyone who reads and reviews! (I'm not going to list you all! :) You all know who you are!)

Love,

Shini


	17. Chapter 17

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 17

* * *

Suzaku gaped in surprise at the concerned maid in front of him.

"What do you mean, Lelouch isn't here? He can't still be out there!" Chika shook her head.

"He hasn't come back. I looked all over the house for him after you left." Suzaku frowned and felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. He saw Nunnally's small, worried face.

"Suzaku, please, will you go get nii-san? You might not like him very much, but will you get him? For me?" she pleaded. Suzaku looked away and huffed, crossing his arms.

"Fine, but only because you asked. If it was him asking, then I would've said no." At that, Nunnally giggled.

"If nii-san would have to ask you to get him out of the rain, we wouldn't be in his mess." The boy sighed and put a hand behind his head at his mistake.

"Yeah," he said. Chika handed him the umbrella he used before and small lit lantern to usher him out the door with.

"Now, go find that poor boy and bring him home, and be careful!" Suzaku waved back to the two as he hurried out onto the deck.

"Thanks, I will! Bye!"

And out he went.

Rain was a heavy downpour and coming in huge torrents. It sloshed around and in Suzaku's shoes. His ankles, socks,and shoes were covered in thick mud. There were deep puddles everywhere.

"Lelouch!" he called out. "Where are you! Lelouch~!" There was not sign of the Britannian boy, but still Suzaku moved into the forest along the paths he knew so well.

Countless tress passed him and the slick grass rustled as he ran. He tripped a couple times, but quickly got up and continued running, yelling out Lelouch's name. Suzaku cursed when he noticed the candle inside his lantern dying out. He was running low on wax and it was getting really dark out with the rain and coming darkness. This was not good. He would have to find Lelouch before it happened, and fast. He glanced again at the diminishing stick. Actually, scratch that. Make it _really_ fast.

Suzaku rapidly swung his lantern around to gleam any life from the woodland. He had stopped to search in this area. He didn't know, but he had a strong feeling Lelouch was here.

"Lelouch, are you here?" There was no reply, but then he thought he saw a hint of movement from a lump on the ground. It looked like a rock, but he could be wrong... He walked towards it to get a closer look.

Then, his candle burned out with a thin curl of smoke and he cursed.

"_Kuso!"_ Suzaku ran forward with his answers outstretched. He bumped into something and he shifted his hands over it to see what it was. he felt damp hair, cold skin, and wet clothes. It was Lelouch. He felt over the body until he found an arm. He pulled up and grunted.

"Get up, you stupid Britannian! Nunnally's waiting for you back at the house.

He could distantly hear somebody call out his name, and felt hope diffuse through his body. Somebody had came out in the rain to find him. As the voice got closer, he still couldn't identify who the owner of the voice was. He tried to move, but he couldn't feel or move his arms. Come to think of it, he couldn't move his body at all. Strange. Then, he felt hands prodding his body and roughly jerk on his arm. He let out a watery groan. There was a slap on his cheek. He felt something rise inside, but then it sank again.

"Of all the times to be stupid, now is not the time! We have to get back! Come on!" When he gave no response there was a punch on his arm and his eyes fluttered open. He hazily saw Suzaku's wet face, hair plastered to his head. The expression on the other boy was livid.

"Are you here with me?" Suzaku shook the other none-too gently, the boy's head snapped back and forth. Suzaku growled. "Guess I'll have to do this the hard way." He braced the other boy's body on his shoulder and somehow managed to move the smaller boy so he was comfortably on his back. Then, he started the trek home.

The rain poured, and the wind howled. Suzaku found himself having to blink every few seconds to keep his vision clear. He shivered. It was getting really cold. Then, he heard a low rumbling before the sky cracked open in an impressive display of white. He sped up his walking. The faster they got back home, the better.

As soon as he saw a steadily glowing lantern Chika was holding up on the porch, he made a beeline towards it. It was like a beacon to him. The two were quickly ushered into the house and his load was relieved by his sensei, Toudou, as Chika fretted over the two boys.

Suzaku was ordered to go the bath and take a hot bath. He did as he was told as Chika and Toudou took the other, unconscious boy so they could deal with him without worrying about Suzaku. Suzaku had no problem with this, and this was perfectly normal.

Then, why did something seem horribly wrong?

R.R., C.C., and Rolo's reunion were abruptly cut short as the security personnel boots' heavy footsteps alerted and reminded them that _right now_ wasn't the best time for fun and giggles. C.C. grabbed onto their wrists.

"Try to look as scared as possible." She hissed, just as the soldier men entered the room. They immediately noticed her, and took in her successful smirk and confident posture. Her eyes glinted, arms crossed, and hip out.

"Oh boys," she practically purred. "I've got this all under control. The little boy," she waved a hand at Rolo's direction. "Just somehow got some explosives. Nothing big. It's all good. You can go now." One of them snorted.

"What about him," he said, pointing a rifle at R.R. C.C. looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Oh please, if I can't even handle him, how do you think I made it to be one of the top operatives of this organization." She slyly looked at the hopeless grunt. "Or are you doubting my words, hmm?" The man looked suspicious, doubt in his pea eyes, but muttered something that sounded like 'hoore' to Rolo, which he didn't understand.

But, on the other hand, C.C. did and her eyes flashed in her anger.

"What did you say?" The soldier looked nervous, but his confident was boosted by his comrade's encouraging and he raised his chin.

"I said, you were a whore." The group behind him clapped him on the back and jeered at C.C., looking at her suggestively. Her face flushed.

"Don't talk to your superiors like that, soldier, and know your place!" she snapped. "Which, if I may remind you, is at the bottom!"

"Why you..." but C.C. brushed the comment aside.

"'Why' nothing. There is no excuse for your rudeness and you can be guaranteed that discipline will be issued to you later. Except at least _twenty _lashes."

"But..." C.C. glared.

"Make that _thirty." _

"_But..._" There was panic in the man's voice.

"Would you like that to be fifty, soldier?" There was no reply and she curtly nodded. "Good, now move." There was no sign of movement. Her eyes narrowed.

"_Now!"_

At that last word, the men had jumped in surprise and C.C. easily dragged R.R. and Rolo with her to pass through the group.

R.R. had to resisted the urge to raise a surprised eyebrow at C.C.'s display of sharpness and leadership. The C.C. he knew was vague and didn't seem to like directly leading and pulling power from her own rank, if she had one.

Then, he shrugged, not wanted to over analyze it. If it worked, it worked. No sense in trying to pin down what exactly when through an immortal's mind. It was too much work. The thoughts changed too much.

He grinned. C.C. would've been very attractive to him after that littler performance, if he had swung that way.

He walked through the mob of grunt soldiers, and tried to make his part a little more convincing through little adjustments. A widening of the eyes here, more hunch there, maybe more tensity in the body could help too... R.R. chanced a glance at Rolo and saw the boy was doing perfectly fine, acting scared that was, seeing that the poor boy looked terrified out of his wits.

R.R. couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief as they made it through without a gun behind shot into their backs, or to be specific, Rolo's back. But, he assumed too soon. As soon as they were about five feet away, there was sharp 'snickt' and 'bang'. R.R. gasped as pain blossomed in his back and he stumbled.

"This is all your fault, Whitey! If you hadn't been here, then I wouldn't have to have thirty lashes! This is all your fault!" The others in the group took this as a cue to also start open fire.

R.R.'s desire to protect Rolo quickly overcame his pain and he picked the horrified boy up. He looked to C.C. for directions as to where to go while the two immortals ran. R.R. bit his lip to stop from shouting out as another bullet entered through the flesh of his leg. It burned. A lot.

"This way," C.C. shouted, leading him further down the corridor and then turning to their left. R.R. tried to figure out where they were, in correspondence to the little map he had created in his head. When he did, he smiled. They were getting out.

True to R.R.'s mapping skills, they burst through a pair of heavy double doors into the Knightmare part of the entire garage storage. R.R. couldn't resist glancing at the models developed so far and memorizing the framework. C.C. hurried them along until they reached the next section, which had exactly what they were looking for, aircraft. They went and piled into the newest, and advanced looking one. It was also the smallest.

C.C. immediately went into a pilot's seat and R.R. took the passenger seats behind with Rolo.

"Are you ready?" C.C. murmured and she waited tensely for everyone to safely buckle up. "This is going to be a wild ride." The group of soldiers behind them shouted as they saw the escaping three beginning to get away.

"Hey!"

"That's our newest model!"

"Stop!" But, they were already too late. C.C. had already slotted the key in its port and entered the password when prompted with a flurry of fingers.

With a shudder, the plane began to lift in the air and hovered, expectantly. The door closed and snapped shut with a satisfying click as the wall in front of them opened. When the area was large enough for them to escape through, C.C. put the thrusters off their hold and they were off.

R.R. looked curiously at the lights whizzing past them in the underground tunnel. Rolo was hiding his scared face in his lap, whimpering at the dizzying speed they were going at.

"Hey C.C., how fast are we going?" C.C. didn't answer and determinedly stared forward. "C.C.!" R.R. said again. The other growled at the breach of her concentration and glanced down on the dashboard.

"130 kts, 135, 140..." she replied. "Don't disturb me again." R.R. didn't heed her warning.

"Why?" C.C. never answered because they were suddenly in the air, surrounded by the bright, bright sun.

R.R. squinted at the sudden change in light to see C.C. twisting the controls madly, causing the plane to drop and gain altitude, roll, and flip in the most uncomfortable of ways. He was about to tell her to stop when he noticed the airplanes around them. He looked to the ground. There were also Knightmares, too. He glanced at their pilot. It seemed she knew what she was doing.

Meanwhile, he and Rolo would try to keep their stomachs in the back.

The effects of the adrenaline R.R. felt was beginning to fade away as they reached a higher, safer elevation. His body didn't feel as powerful, and his pain was becoming more prominent. He winced. Some of the bullets didn't make clean breaks, sadly, and they were making themselves known to his aching body.

"Are there any spare clothes on his plane, by any chance?" C.C. didn't even look back.

"I packed some for both of you. They should be in a bag under the seats. Some medical equipment should be there too."

R.R. reached under and grabbed the bag. Rummaging through it, he handed a delighted Rolo a stack of clothes and then looked at his own. He raised an eyebrow. They weren't too bad of a choice, actually. None of them were too awkward, or too bright, or overly ridiculous. He set them down and looked for the med kid. He set that on his lap. He coughed.

"Hey C.C., does this plane go on autopilot by any chance." With a sigh, C.C. flicked a switch on and checked their course. Then, she climbed on back.

"What?" Then, she noticed his back. "Oh, I see."

"What?" Rolo asked with a curious tone, craning his neck. R.R. turned his back away.

"Nothing."

"Lemme me! Lemme me!" R.R. disagreed.

"It's something you shouldn't see." Rolo pouted.

"But I want to see!" R.R. opened his mouth to reply, but a yelp of pain came out.

"What are you doing?" he hissed to C.C., turning partially around. The green-haired woman just looked at him with a bored expression and waved a bullet in his face with a probe.

"The little one can see." R.R. whipped around.

"Eh?" he cried. Rolo eep-ed and ducked.

"I want to help!" R.R. was at loss as to what to do.

"Just let him." C.C. said. R.R. had a bad feeling it was going to end up bad.

He was wrong. It had ended up terribly wrong. R.R. glared invisible daggers at C.C., who was back to piloting in the cockpit. Then, he glared at Rolo, who was sleeping curled up on the pilot's seat next to C.C., leaving the whole back seat to him.

And what was he doing? He was lying on his stomach, because if he sat up or lay on his back, it would 'aggravate' his 'wounds' more. He cursed C.C. over and over in his head, and then cursed a certain maid too, for giving little boys the idea that wrapping him up like he was some mummy was a good idea! He didn't even have any injuries anymore!

R.R. sighed, and thought, why did things like these happen to him? Did somebody or something conduct this purely to laugh at his unfortunate misery?

"This is where I'm going to drop you off. I can't go any closer than this, or we're get discovered by the people at the end of this forest." Rolo happily hopped off the plane, and gave C.C. a hug.

"You know," he commented, "You're not such a bad person, even if you did kiss R.R." The little boy frowned. "I didn't like that." C.C. crossed her arms.

"You didn't, now did you?" she asked. "Well, I can do it whenever I want." At this declaration, Rolo stomped his foot.

"R.R. is mine, and you can't have him. You'll just take him away again!" At this R.R. was getting a good bit of amusement at the tense energy crackling between the two, but decided to intervene before things got nasty.

"Haven't you guys ever heard of sharing?" They both turned their jagged glares to him and he took a step back. He put his arms in front of him protectively. "I mean, we're all friends, right?" At this, C.C. gave Rolo a discrete smirk that she knew the boy noticed and walked even closer to R.R., her eyes daring him to back down. He didn't.

"R.R., don't you know? That's not the way things work." R.R. just coolly looked at her, and a slow, sly smirk crossed his face. He tipped C.C.'s face up.

"Really?" he asked. C.C could feel his breath on her face and a pink tinge appeared on her cheeks.

"C.C., you know you're a very attractive woman, and shall forever love you dearly."

He leaned in.

"I hope you know I just don't swing that way."

Their lips were only millimeters apart. Then, he turned his head slightly and pecked C.C. on the cheek. He smiled as he leaned back.

"You're like a dear sister to me." C.C.'s expression was one of surprise. Her eyes were wide open, mouth open, and then she blinked. There was a silence. Rolo looked at the two confused, but glad R.R. didn't really kiss C.C.

"Does this mean I have to call C.C. my sister now?"

* * *

Yay! Here's Chapter 17! There's a twist written in this one... ^_^ It was so much fun to write. I wrote all this in one sitting, on Saturday or Sunday if I remember correctly... Well, I'm posting this up early by a couple hours. Tomorrow, when I usually update, I'll be at a swimming meet. So, lucky for you all! You get a chapter before it's supposed to come out!

Bea- Lol. It's almost time for the canon, don't you fret. Also, Lelouch and RR are two _very_ different people, and I'm going to show that as much as possible! :D It's going to be so fun!

ryuu11- Hmm... for Dr. T, I kind of feel sorry for him, having to go through the past experiences that made him the man he is today... poor guy. /cough cough/ Some people say I'm too nice. /shrugs/ Maybe something will happen to him, maybe not. Who knows...? ^_^ This chapter has a lighter tone in it, so it'll make up for all the horrible stuff in the previous chapter, right?

Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, alerts, and favorites this. I love you all!

Now to eat yummy pasta... when it's almost ten in the night. I just came home from a diving meet! XD Busy, busy...

Review?

Love,

Shini


	18. Chapter 18

_Of Promises and Lies_- Chapter 18

* * *

Rolo wasn't sure what was going on, but he vaguely felt his body being lifted and carried to somewhere. Somewhere, he later found out, was some place warm. Then, he noticed the name that was being called earlier wasn't his name, but "Lelouch". He was confused. Lelouch? It sounded like a cockroach of some kind.

After contemplating on what a "Lelouch" could be, his body was taken off of his savior's back, and he tried to struggle against being taken somewhere. But, his arms were like lead and only twitched futilely, the movement lost in the transfer of his body. He managed to mumble something, but a woman's sayings overlapped his. She was speaking to someone called "Suzaku".

Rolo was very confused now. According to what he had heard so far, there was somebody looking for a "Lelouch", called "Suzaku", a very odd name indeed. He didn't have to wait long before he was whisked away and his clothes C.C. had just given him were taken off, not that he minded much. They were soaking wet. He was promptly put in another change of clothes and tucked into a warm surface surrounded by numerous blankets.

A pair of shoes walked away and a door closed, giving him the pretense that he was alone. However, Rolo sensed that there was another presence near him. His eyes flickered slightly under his eyelids as he thought what to do.

"I know you're awake." Rolo had been expecting it, but the actual sound of Toudou's voice surprised him and caused the boy to twitch violently under the blankets. He felt a spear of panic, but it was soon replaced with caution.

"It would be easier to just open his eyes." The voice prodded, and Rolo obliged. The boy's eyes immediately snapped to the older man.

"Who are you?" he asked warily. "Are you going to hurt me too?" The man frowned at the question, but shook his head.

"My name is Toudou Kyoshiro, and no, I'm not going to hurt you unless you give me a reason to. Who are you?" The boy blinked, processing the answer. He gave the tiniest of nods.

"I an unsure of my true name, but I would like to be referred to as Rolo Haliburton." Toudou narrowed his eyes slightly, and couldn't help but be reminded of when he first met a certain white-haired man.

"_And even though R.R. is not my true name, I would like to be referred to as such..." _

A question came from his lips before he could wonder to much about its validity.

"Do you know someone called R.R.?

Toudou had a thought and didn't know the cause of his sudden leap in logic. But, something in his gut told him that it was important. His mind argued that it His gut instinct had never been proven wrong and had an excellent record. Nevertheless, he was surprised to receive a suspicious, but positive response.

"Why?" Rolo asked. Toudou ignored the question at the moment and continued on with confirmation.

"Long, white hair? Speaks with his mind? Dark violet eyes?"

"Yes, now why?" Rolo sighed exasperatedly, and grew more irritated at the man in front of him when he got no answer. "Answer me!"

His mouth gaped as Toudou just stood up without a word and he clumsily climbed out of the bed he was in. He took a couple unsteady steps, but flung his arms and legs at Toudou.

"How do you know R.R.?" he demanded, his right eye starting to glimmer inconspicuously. "Tell me!" Toudou's frown deepend.

"I don't have time for this!" he snapped. "I have to..." He never got to finish his sentence. Rolo walked to the pile of his wet clothes and drew a small, thin hand pistol from the folds. He went back to Toudou and raised it in the air. The metal's dull surface glinted menacingly in the dim light. He began to aim and thumb the trigger back at Toudou's unprotected chest.

Suddenly, the room's door opened with a bang and in his surprise he dropped his firearm and Geass. A snarl started on his features, but when he saw who it was, a smile blossomed on his features.

"R.R.!" he squealed like the child he was.

"R.R.?" Toudou gasped. Then, R.R.'s eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body slumped to the ground. He and the body in his arms were quickly caught by Toudou's reflexes. The stern man looked at the maid in front of him in confusion.

"What was that for? Didn't you see that this is R.R.?" Chika hefted the frying pan in her hands and tightened her grip.

"Who know if he's trustworthy or not? Remember what happened that night?" She said in a wavering voice. Toudou lowered his eyes and looked away at the reminder of the night R.R. went missing, and the aftermath of the unknown events.

Rolo looked between the two, highly unamused and confused. He propped his arms at his hips and pinched his lips in an extremely irritated manner.

"Does anyone want to tell me what exactly is going on here?"

R.R. blearily opened his eyes, a throbbing making itself painfully known in the side of his head. With a silent groan, he raised his hand and gingerly touched injury. It flared in protest and he winced.

"I can see Chika hasn't lost her strong arm," he murmured to himself. Then, there was a clatter of water and pans behind him and he whirled around. His eyes widened blindly in fear and he curled up in a small ball, pushing himself against a wall instinctively. His arms covered his head protectively.

A whisper came form behind.

"Oh R.R., what happened to you to make you like this?" Chika asked softly. ignoring the pan and spilled water at her feet. "And how-how can you speak?" She stuttered. She slowly walked forward and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly.

R.R. jerkily twisted to escape her grasp, but the maid just tightened her hold. As R.R. turned, she noticed the wild, raw look in his eyes. She reeled slightly back. There was absolutely no recognition. Then, as she stared with bated breath, a hint of awareness sparked and expanded, growing larger.

"Chika?" he finally said, blinking. "Wha..." He never finished what he was about to say, due to the suffocating embrace he was enveloped in. He felt a couple bones in his back crack. His hands and eyes twitched madly.

"Chi-Chika..." he gasped. "C-can't..." The maid instantly let go of him as soon as she heard his voice.

"Sorry! Are you alright?" she fretted worriedly. "I'm really, really sorry!" And she contiued to babble on until R.R. put a hand over her mouth. She blinked in surprise. R.R. smiled in an small, embarrassed way.

"I apologize, Chika. It was the only way, you see." he said softly. Then, he withdrew his hand, and shifted back, not expecting what her reaction would be.

There was a long silence, and R.R. was getting tenser every second, just waiting, waiting for something. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Rolo and Suzaku came barging into the room in a squabble.

"R.R. likes me more!"

"No, he likes me more!"

"Why would he like you more? You're just a stupid swine!"

"I'm not a swine, you arrogant..." Suzaku was at loss for a retaliating insult. "You... you..." Rolo smugly crossed his arms at his presumed victory.

"Ha!" he taunted. "You don't know what to say. R.R. likes me more!" Hearing that, however, Suzaku's ire was raised again and he growled deep in his throat. He sprang up at Rolo and drew his fist back.

"Who needs words when you can just use _this_?" His fist connected solidly with Rolo's cheek and the younger boy gasped, staggering back.

"Why you!" he exclaimed angrily. "I'll get you back for that!" He jumped at Suzaku and they once again started to giving each other flying fists and legs.

There was a motionless figure at the doorway and R.R.'s eyes gravitated to it. His eyes connected with Lelouch's, and he felt something spark between them. Perhaps it was rivalry? R.R. wasn't quite sure. Nonetheless, R.R. couldn't help but give a smile In response and tip his head to the side. And he quirked up an eyebrow. Lelouch scowled fiercely back at him and crossed his arms. The image was ruined when he gave a violent sneeze.

Then, R.R.'s gaze drifted to the little girl next to Lelouch and felt his breath catch in his throat and his eyes widened fractionally.

_Nunnally..._

A face popped in front of him, but was rudely shoved aside.

"Hey!" Suzaku protested, but Rolo ignored him.

"Hey R.R.," he asked. "Who do like the most, me or him?" R.R.'s expression grew panicked at the question. Suzaku slapped Rolo on the head. "Ow!" He turned around. "What was that for?" Suzaku looked at Rolo as if he were an idiot.

"R.R. can't talk, stupid." Rolo pouted, but before he could retaliate Chika clapped a hand over Rolo's mouth and sharply scolded Suzaku.

"Suzaku-sama, don't use such crass language."

Rolo wriggled free of the maid's grasp and blurted out, "R.R. can too talk, he got fixed." This sentence in itself wasn't overly hilarious, but how Rolo pronounced caused R.R. to start snickering.

"Dear Rolo, I believe it's pronounced fi-x-T, not fi-x-ED." Suzaku gaped and R.R. winked at him. "Speechless, or are you just unhappy see me? Su-zie-chan~!" The man teased. The nickname roused Suzaku out of his daze.

"Don't call me that girly nickname! I'm not small anymore." R.R. smirked and got up. He surrounded Suzaku with his arms and ruffled the boy's hair, messing the messy locks further.

"Oh really? You still seem pretty small to me, bean sprout." A vein popped at Suzaku's temple. "Don't called me bean sprout, you old man!" A tic appeared at R.R's forehead.

"Don't call me an old man, you squid."

"Chibi!"

"Old geezer!"

"Shorty!"

"..." and R.R. folded his arms, smug, giving Suzaku a feeling of deja vu.

"Ran of insults again, did you?" The boy colored.

"N-no I didn't!" he sputtered. "I was taking a break! Right?" He turned around for some kind of support, but was despaired to see only Rolo staring daggers at him. Toudou and Chika-chan were looking away, seemingly occupied with something or other. He nervously chuckled.

"H-hey, what's wrong? Don't you believe me?" R.R. and Rolo both turned on him.

"Pipsqueak!"

"Don't call me a pipsqueak!"

A few days later...

"What?" a cry echoed shrilly through the house. "It can't be!" Lelouch winced at the volume and clapped his hands over his ears. He poked a head out of the room he was in with an irritated expression and slammed the door next to him open.

"What are you on yelling about?"

"It's R.R.!" Suzaku wailed. "He's gone!" Rolo burst into the room with a panicked expression.

"R.R.'s gone?"

Meanwhile, a figure outside bowed his head when he heard the cries.

"It's for the best."

* * *

I'm so very sorry for the late update! Even though it's was only for a number of hours and on the same day, I didn't stick to my writing schedule and procrastinated. However, this is like the chapter before the epilogue, because I can't think up anymore events to happened. There might be one chapter after there as a wrap-up, or I might call this a completed story and leave a cliffy for all of you!

Though, this chapter was mostly written alongside with watching anime, so parts of it may seem abrupt, and along with the shortness... /blush/ Sorry if that bugs anybody... I couldn't think up what else to add, but that's not much an excuse, is it? D. Gray-Man is addicting though... and after I finish it, I'll have another fandom to explore! (Yeah, I'm a total fanfic addict. XD)

RegiNeji- I'm glad you like my writing. However, it seems you're a little late. The pre-canon part is almost done, but stick around for the canon timeline! ^_^

ryuu11- /claps/ Yay! Dr. T has the benefit of doubt! That's all I ask! Well, C.C. likes R.R., but R.R. doesn't swing that way and only thinks of her as a sister. It's purely platonic and no romance. I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^

Bea- I just love your review! Lol. Ehehehe... about the breaks, I'll try to do a better job in transition. I don't really like break lines personally, in my opinion, they tend to encourage short snippets of writing (probably like this chapter) that has lots of plot holes of swiss cheese. I hope this chapter isn't like that too much... But yeah, Lelouch and R.R. are technically the same person, but the the experiences they've had are different and thus, makes them two very different people. As for the pairings... I'm trying to go for Suzaku and Lelouch, but they're young so there can't be too much here. But in the canon timeline... we'll see where that takes us, hmm? ^_~

Thanks for everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and put this story on their favorites! Just keep in mind that reviews are nicest things of all. /nudge nudge/ Forward to the canon!

Love,

Shini

P.S.

Wow, I sound really lazy in this AN... /palm smack/


	19. Chapter 19

_Of Promises and Lies-_ Chapter 19

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_

_I'll ride on a boat, a ship of dreams,_

_To catch moon and stars for you._

_They'll be the brightest ever seen,_

_Their brilliance you never knew._

_When I'm gone, don't you cry,_

_I'll be back to you someday._

_When the sky's white tears fall, why?_

_Only when the lonely skies are grey._

_So hush little boy, don't you weep. _

_I'll bring silver treasures for you. _

_They'll wipe away your tears,_

_and your smile will shine, true. _

_When I'm gone, your love will guide,_

_my weary soul to your light. _

_When the sands of time appear, when? _

_Only when the silver moon turns black._

_Just remember, heed these words, _

_that black is white and white is black._

_The spark is the beginning of grey,_

_of twilight, of dawn, don't look back. _

_When you do, you'll soon see, how?_

_Only when the two lines are blurred._

_The future is already written, yes,_

_but the past is an unmade book. _

_They'll determine your very own fate,_

_bound and used like a rook. _

_When the past has come, a face you'll see, who?_

_Only when I am you and you is I._

_

* * *

_

ryuu11- Here's the update you asked for! /wink/ And thanks for taking Dr. T into consideration. I might extend his character's usefulness if I find the opportunity.

zevym- Yep. You totally guessed that right. Also, it's Fullmetal Alchemist, at least the old version of it. I don't know about the Brotherhood "newer" version... I haven't watched it except for the first couple of episodes or so.

fubuki235- Well, I appreciate you comments, but am sorry to tell you that this is the last chapter. But, keep an eye out for the sequel. /wink/

RejiNeji- Lol. Alright. I'm happy to know that. ^_^

Dimlit Pale Blue- Oooh. I like your username. I might have to use some day in one of my stories. Dimlit Pale Blue... /blink/ Sorry about that. But keep an eye out for the canon timeline! /nudge nudge/

Bea- Have I mentioned how much I love your reviews? I have, probably, but still... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. There should be a sequel floating around here somewhere eventually. It's just a matter of time, but you'll wait won't you? /puppy dog eyes/

First of all, I would like to apologize for the late update. One, I was lazy. Two, I wasn't sure what to do. I started a letter for this the other day, but it came out horribly cliche. So, whoosh, out that idea went. Then, I was struck by an inspiration from my English class when we did pieces of work for what were thankful for, for Thanksgiving.

So, here's the last addition to OPAL (Thank you ame-chan, for this shorter name.) It's an extended version of the short poem found in Chapter 12. I added three more verses to it. I think it would be safe to say that it was included in the letter little Suzie-chan found in the last chapter. /sobs/ This is actually kind of sad here... My little baby... all grown up...

As for a sequel... I'm hoping to get one out some time, but I'm still working on my changing the time line skills (AKA I have never done this before). So I'm counting on all of you for help! ^_^ I'm pretty excited whenever I think about it, but an a little afraid, to tell you all the truth.

Thank you to all who have been continuously supporting me! I hope you'll read the sequel! Happy Thanksgiving. Or, Happy Holidays! ^_^

Review?

Love,

Shini


	20. Note

Hiya guys!

I just thought that a note would be a good idea, since the sequel is up and running now. It's called _Of Masks and Mirrors _by yours truly! Here's the summary:

Sequel to OPAL. TimeTravel. "Who are you?" he whispered. There was a mocking laugh. The figure turned around with a flourish. "I'm quite surprised you haven't figured it out, but then again you are a realist." He leaned forward. "I'm you," he whispered.

It's a little spoiler, but who doesn't like a little spoiler every now and then?

Check it out if you're interested. If not, it twas nice having you here for a while!

Love,

Shini


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